Summer to Deal
by beepersheartsbrucas
Summary: Back from her third year of college, Casey McDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made along with her mother and George long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder. Dasey Ch11 up
1. Ryan Grace

**A/N**: This is my first attempt at writing Life with Derek fanfiction... be gentle, however, I do take criticism... Just review )

**Summary**: Back from her second year of college, Casey MacDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Life with Derek or any of the characters from the show. Ryan Grace, however, is the creation of my having too much time on my hands.

**Chapter 1: Ryan Grace **

Little Ryan Grace Venturi walked out of the kitchen, feeling slightly dejected. All she wanted to do was help make lunch. She didn't mean to spill the milk, the jug was just too heavy, and the plates, well, that wasn't her fault; they just fell off the table on their own. Her mom didn't have to kick her out of the kitchen.

She let out an exasperated sigh that only a three year old could emit, and crossed her arms as she pouted her way to the living room. She hated being so little. She could never do anything and no one ever wanted to play with her. Edwin and Lizzie were always too busy and, honestly, Marti would probably play with her. However, truthfully, Ryan didn't like playing with her because Marti always made her do stuff for her. She was so bossy.

She let out a huff as she hopped onto the couch, her lip poking out farther as she continued to pout. "It's no fair," she whined to herself. "I wish..." Her voice tapered off as the front door opened. "TASEY!!" Ryan screamed happily, the unfairness of being little- now long forgotten as she ran towards the new arrival.

Casey McDonald hadn't been home for over three weeks. Finals had been killer, leaving her almost no time to sleep between cramming for tests, researching for papers, writing said papers, conducting labs, and practicing for her dance performance/exam. She was physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted. However, as the happy, sweet little voice rang through her ears, her exhaustion disappeared and a smile fell onto her face.

Dropping her bags to the floor, Casey knelt down to catch the excited toddler into her arms, "Ry-Ry!" She exclaimed, standing up and taking the little girl with her. "Oh, I missed you so much." She said, holding her tightly.

Ryan pulled back from the hug, looking into Casey's eyes, letting her hands fall loosely on her shoulders, "I misses you, too. You were gone for a really, really, really, really long time." She said with a frown forming on her tiny lips.

"I know," Casey responded softly, "but I had a lot of work to do for school. I'm sorry." She apologized, but the little pout remained on the child's face. "But school's done for now, so I'm here for the rest of the summer."

At the last statement, Ryan's smile returned and her large blue eyes twinkled hopefully, "Really?" She asked excitedly, and Casey nodded. "Yay!!" She squealed, clapping enthusiastically, and then she turned her head to face the stairs. "Marti! Lizzie! Eddie!! Come 'ere!" She yelled loudly... Well, as loud as her little lungs would allow (which was actually, amazingly loud). She turned back to Casey and grinned, "They gonna be happy to see you." Then she leaned in close to Casey's ears as loud footsteps echoed upstairs and whispered, "But not as happy as me."

Casey's heart almost stopped and she gazed at the little girl in shock. "Ryan? What's going on?" Casey snapped out of her daze as her little sister's voice filtered down the stairs. As Lizzie got halfway down the staircase, her eyes landed on Casey and Ryan standing by the door. "Casey, you're home!" She yelled, happily running down the last remaining steps to envelop her sister in a giant hug.

Casey shifted Ryan on her hip as she hugged Lizzie, "Hey, Liz. I missed you."

"I missed you, too." Lizzie replied after they parted.

Taking in her sister's appearance, Casey voiced her approval, "Oh, wow. You grew. You're so pretty."

A laugh erupted from Lizzie's mouth as she rolled her eyes, "Casey, you just saw me like, three weeks ago. I doubt I changed mush since then."

Casey laughed with her. It was true, Lizzie hadn't really changed much since her last visit, however, every time Casey cam home, she couldn't believe how different Lizzie was from the little tomboy. Sure, she was still a tomboy, but now, at sixteen, she showed off her girlish figure and wore a hint of make up. It shocked Casey that her little sister was no longer a little girl, but a young woman. "Okay, you're right." She agreed with a giggle, "I know I'm being crazy but you are growing. I just feel like I'm missing so much." She finished sadly, as she unconsciously held Ryan closer to her.

Lizzie nodded with understanding, "I know."

Casey shook her head, snapping back to her original feeling of excitement and genuine happiness. "Anyway, I'm here now. We can catch up... Maybe even talk about the guys in a certain sister's life." Casey hinted with a wink.

"Oh, Marti is still in that phase where boys are gross, and I don't think we should be encouraging Ryan, just yet." Lizzie joked with a laugh.

Casey laughed with Lizzie, "I don't know, Liz, I don't think it's ever too early to start. Maybe we could teach her everything we know so she wouldn't have as much trouble understanding them as we do."

"Sounds like a plan," Lizzie replied, "Although, I don't think Mom and George would appreciate that."

"Speaking of, where are they?" Casey asked, finally stepping away from the door and into the living room.

At Lizzie's shrug, Ryan pulled her head away from the comfortable pillow she found in the curve of Casey's neck, she spoke for the first time since Lizzie came down the stairs. "I can get them," She suggested, proudly. Without waiting for a response, she turned her body, while staying in the comfort of the older MacDonald's arms, "Mommy!! Daddy!!" She bellowed.

Pain flashed in Casey's eyes and Lizzie put a comforting hand on her shoulder. At the contact, Casey turned back to her sister and gave a reassuring smile, trying to mask the twinge she felt in her heart.


	2. The Proud Mother

**A/N**: Thanks again to those that reviewed. I appreciate it a lot. Here is the second chapter. Derek isn't in the picture yet. I hope you enjoy. If you do (and even if you don't) please leave a review. They make me happy.

**Summary**: Back from her second year of college, Casey MacDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Life with Derek or any of the characters from the show. Ryan Grace, however, is the creation of my having too much time on my hands.

**Chapter 2: The Proud Mother**

"Mommy!! Daddy!!" The call filtered into the kitchen and into Nora's ears as she swept the broken plates off the floor.

"I see we're being beckoned," George chuckled, walking up the stairs from their basement bedroom with a deposition from one of his cases in his hand.

Nora sighed with exhaustion as she looked up at her husband, "It seems so." She said wearily, "Can you go see what she wants. I still have to clean the rest of this up and finish lunch, and I still have to look over the-"

George nodded his head, cutting her off he walked over to the kitchen door, "Sure, I'll go check on little princess."

He chuckled as he left the room, hearing Nora say something about how little monster would fit better. "What is it, Ry? Are you ready for lunch?" He asked as he walked toward the living room with his head down, glancing over the deposition.

Ryan nodded from her place in Casey's arms, "Yes," she confirmed, putting her hand on her stomach for emphasis, "My tummy keeps talking."

George smiled, lifting his head up from his work to address his daughter. As he looked up, he was met with three pairs of blue eyes, two of them with identical sparkles. Shock clouded his features as he peered at his daughter in the arms of his eldest stepdaughter. 'Wow.' He thought to himself, 'I never realized how much Ryan looks like her, before.' He shook his head, as if to shake away the thought, and smiled at the oldest girl, "Casey!" He addressed her with a pleasantly happy smile, while walking over to embrace her. "How are you?"

Casey returned the hug, "I'm doing well. Finals are finally done, so I'm break for the summer." She replied. "I thought I told you that over the phone."

He nodded, "Yeah, I remember. I just thought you'd be coming on Monday."

"Yeah, I finished early and thought I'd surprise you all." She explained, smiling.

"We are definitely surprised." He said, affectionately squeezing her shoulder before turning back to the kitchen, "Nora, can you come here for a sec?" He called out to his wife and then turned back to Casey. "Be prepared," he warned, "She's been anticipating your arrival since you left three weeks ago."

Casey nodded just as her mother walked out of the kitchen, "George? What's- Oh, my God! Casey!" She exclaimed, hurrying over to her oldest daughter and wrapping her arms around her.

"Hey, Mom." Casey said as her mother squeezed her.

"I'm so glad you're home. We've missed you so much. I thought you were coming next week. But this is fine, too." She said happily, as she continued to hug the life out of Casey. "Oh, gosh I missed you. Three weeks is incredibly too long."

Casey looked over at George and Lizzie for help, but they each just smiled at her with a look that clearly showed their amusement. She glared back at them.

"Mommy, you're sqooshin' me!!" Ryan whined from in between Casey and Nora.

Nora took a step back and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, Baby. I just missed your sister so much."

Another look of pain flashed through Casey's eyes, as well as a spark of anger, but she quickly shook it off and smiled at her mother. "Hey, Baby, lunch is on the table for you. Why don't you go into the kitchen and eat?" Nora said to Ryan.

Casey leaned down to put the young child on the ground, but the little arms wrapped around her neck, "Tasey, come eat with me." Ryan said, refusing to part with her.

"I would but I have to put my stuff away and shower." She said, before lowering her voice to a whisper, "I kinda stink."

Ryan giggled, "You don't stink, Tasey." She said, "You can take a shower _after_ you eat lunch with me."

Casey sighed playfully, "Okay, okay. I'll eat with you, but you're going to have to smell me the whole time." She warned, "And you can't complain one bit, because I told you but you didn't wanna listen." She joked.

Ryan laughed while she cheered, "Yay! Let's go!"

Nora frowned, "Ryan, Casey has stuff to do, and she doesn't need you to hang on her."

Casey shook her head, "It's no problem." She responded, raising her eyebrow at her mother, "I'm hungry anyway, I haven't eaten since last night. I'm famished!" She started to walk to the kitchen, but Nora stopped her.

"Casey, let her go eat by herself, you can eat later. I have to talk to you." Nora told her.

Casey raised her eyebrow once again, displaying her confusion as anger boiled beneath the surface. After a second, Casey sighed and turned to the little girl in her arms, "Sorry Ry-Bread. I have to talk to my mom, but I'll come eat with you when I'm done."

Ryan shook her head, "No, I will wait." She said stubbornly.

Casey shook her head as she heard the tiny grumbling sounds stemming from the tiny belly, "No, I think your tummy wants to eat now. " She said, poking her stomach gently, "So why don't you go and start to feed that tummy of yours while I talk with my mom and I'll come and join you when we're done." She suggested. "I'm sure Lizzie and Marti would love to keep you company, too."

"Actually," Lizzie cut in, "Marti is with Dimi and Edwin is out with Jamie, but I'd love to eat with you Ryan."

"See? Liz with eat with you and keep you company until I can join you two." Casey said, hoping that Ryan would accept that.

Ryan looked at her uncertainly, "You'll come eat with me _right_ when you're done?" Casey nodded and Ryan sighed, "Okay. But you gotsta hurry or I'll eat all your tookies."

Casey laughed, "No, not the cookies. I'll really have to hurry."

She placed Ryan on her feet and watched as she grabbed Lizzie's hand and scampered into the kitchen. As they reached the kitchen door, Ryan turned back to face her, "_Right_ after." She said before pushing the door open and disappearing behind it.

Casey watched the door swing closed and let out a sigh, "Wow, she's gotten so big."

Nora nodded, "I know, she's growing like a weed," She said in amazement. "Which is what I wanted to talk to you about." Casey turned to face her mother, "You know that she's going to be four in a little less than a month, right?" Casey looked at her mother in disbelief- was she honestly asking her that? Nora saw the look on her daughter's face, "I know! I can hardly believe it, either!" Obviously, she read the look wrong. "It seems like only yesterday that the stubborn little monster was refusing to come out through twenty hours of labor." She said affectionately.

Casey's skin burned with her anger, "Mom!" She snapped harshly, making her mother's face fall with shock. Casey took a breath to calm herself down, "What did you want to tell me?" She said, her voice softer.

Nora regarded her daughter preparing to snap back when George, who was silent through the whole exchange, interceded, "Your mother wanted to tell you that we're planning a birthday party for Ryan in two weeks."

Casey looked at George, "Okay. Sounds good. Anything else?" She asked, seeing that there was something more.

George nodded, "And-"

"And we haven't told her about it, yet. We don't want her to talk non stop about it for two weeks, so we were hoping that you'd keep it hush hush for a little bit." Nora said, cutting George off. George looked at her in confusion, but she ignored his look as she continued, "Lizzie, Marti and I were going to go shopping on Tuesday for a couple of gifts, if you'd like to come with us."

Casey nodded, "Sure. That sounds great." She said, even though, at that moment, shopping with her mother definitely didn't sound great... It didn't even sound pleasant. She would actually rather pluck each and every hair from her legs than go shopping with her mother. But she agreed anyway.

Nora nodded as well, "Okay, great."

Just then, a loud rumbling sounded through the room. "Okay, I'm going to go and feed myself before my stomach gets any louder." Casey said, holding her hand to her stomach, "Is there anything else?"

George opened his mouth to speak but Nora spoke first, "No. I think that's it."

"Okay." She said, before disappearing behind the kitchen door.

As the kitchen door closed behind Casey, George turned to Nora, "Why didn't you tell her?" He asked with disapproval.

"Why does it matter?" She challenged him, faking innocent.

He rolled his eyes, "You know why."

Nora shook her head, "No I don't. We both don't. It's not like she told us anything."

George was about to reply but Nora spoke again, "Why did you cut me off earlier?" She asked angrily.

"Maybe because you were about start a fight with Casey," George replied as if it should've been obvious.

Nora's eyes widened, "She got all angry and snapped at me!"

"And you don't think she had a reason to?" He questioned, almost shocked that she was oblivious to her own actions. "You were just going off like a proud mother."

"I _am_ a proud mother!" She argued.

"That's the problem." He pointed out, "You're a proud mother to _her_ child."

Nora shook her head, "No, she's _my child. We all agreed to it. She's our daughter."_

_George just shook his head sadly, knowing that he won't be able to get her to understand, "Yeah, we all agreed, but it doesn't make the pain any less." He said, before walking away and going back to work on his deposition._


	3. Living a Lie

**A/N**: I've never written two updates in one day, but I was inspired. Your reviews really got me going. Thanks so much... I really should be doing my chemistry... But oh well. Sorry if it's not that good. It's kind of a filler chapter to get the story off of the ground.

**Summary**: Back from her second year of college, Casey MacDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Life with Derek or any of the characters from the show. Ryan Grace, however, is the creation of my having too much time on my hands. My sister just pointed out to me that this kinda resembles a movie on Lifetime starring Danielle Panabaker... I just want to say that, no, I do not own that either.

**Chapter 2: Living a Lie**

Tensions ran high between Nora and Casey following their conversation when Casey first arrived. Nora was constantly pulling the mother card over Casey, undermining every little thing Casey did concerning Ryan. If Casey rented a movie for them to watch, Ryan had to go to bed early because she didn't eat her vegetables. If Casey promised to take Ryan to the park, Nora decided to take Ryan to the mall. If Casey agreed to play a game with Ryan, Nora would offer to take her out for ice cream instead.

The problems even continued when Ryan wasn't around. When Tuesday came and Casey joined Marti, Lizzie and Nora on their shopping trip, the tension became so thick it could've choked a horse. Casey had never felt as much resentment as she had for her mother as she went on to talk about all of her daughter's likes and dislikes. For over two hours, she flaunted her relationship with Ryan in Casey's face, telling her about things she said, did, or will do. She boasted like a proud mother, and Casey just wanted to scream, but she held her tongue. She felt anger stirring up inside of her, but she never allowed it to lace the pleasant comments she made, or show on her face, or shine through her eyes. She didn't want to make a scene, and she really didn't want to make Marti or Lizzie to fall victim to the dispute between her mother and herself. She didn't want to make the shopping trip anymore uncomfortable than she knew that it already was for them.

Tensions mounted further on Tuesday night, when Ryan refused to allow Nora to give her a bath, demanding that Casey be the one to do it. Nora acquiesced after arguing with the three year old for almost twenty minutes. After the bath, Ryan even begged Casey to tuck her in. Nora was fuming, as she watched Casey pull the covers over the little girl's shoulders and snuggle into the bed beside her to read her a story.

It was a silent battle between the two, and the whole house sat around, waiting for the silence to break and the war to begin.

Casey massaged her neck as she sat in her bed late at night. All of the tension from the week found its way into her muscles, causing knots to form in her back, shoulders, and neck. She didn't know if she could handle being in the same house as her mother anymore. If it weren't for the little time she got to spend with Ryan and Lizzie, she would've left Tuesday. But there she was on Friday night, laying in bed with a pounding headache, the worst crick in her neck, and exhaustion taking over her entire being as sleep alluded her.

She loved her mother. She really did. And she wanted to be the good daughter that she has always been, but she just couldn't sit back anymore and try to please her. Not when it came to this. However, she didn't want to argue with her. She didn't want to resent her anymore. Tears stung her eyes as she thought of her strained relationship with her. What was once perfect and coveted, was now almost nonexistent. All she wanted was for things to go back to the way things were. But at what cost? 'Maybe I should just go back to Toronto.' She thought to herself. 'I could take summer classes and maybe get a job waitressing or something.' She wracked her brain for any possible solution to the tension that was slowly killing her family as she stared out into the darkness of her room.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice her door open or see the little figure standing in her room. "T-Tasey?" A small, broken voice broke her concentration. Casey turned her head to the doorway and she found Ryan, donning her pink footie pajamas and clutching a stuffed monkey tightly against her chest, crying and looking up at her through frightened eyes.

Immediately, Casey got off of her bed and went to the scared little girl. Kneeling down in front of her, Casey reached out a hand to brush the tears off of her chubby little cheek. "Oh, Honey, what happened?" She asked quietly, taking her into her arms.

Ryan through her arms around Casey's neck and held on for dear life. "I-I had a b-bad d-dream." She choked out through her tears.

Casey rubbed her small back soothingly, whispering comforting words into the air, "Shh... It's okay. You're safe. Mo-I'm here." She said, catching herself.

A few minutes went by before Ryan calmed down enough to speak again, "T-tan I sleep with you?" She asked tentatively.

Casey just nodded slightly before lifting them both from the floor and walking toward her bed, pulling back her covers and laying down, without parting from the little girl. She continued to rub the little girl's back until she felt her breathing even out, telling her that she had fallen asleep. She turned her head to place a kiss in the dark curls that lay on Ryan's head, before her own eyes fell closed. As she began to slip out of consciousness for the first time in days, one thought went through her mind; she wasn't leaving.

Nora woke up Saturday morning after suffering through a night of restlessness. The tension between her and Casey had been getting to her, as well, but she didn't know how to fix it. She rubbed her eyes and groaned as she felt the stiffness in her back. She lazily pulled herself out of bed and up the stairs to get some coffee. When she entered the kitchen, she was met by Edwin and Lizzie eating cereal and talking about a bet they were making on how many times they could ride the Wild Thing without throwing up when they went to the amusement park today with their friends. She saw her husband standing near the island sipping on his coffee and going over his notes for his court appearance that day. She also saw Marti eating some kind of concoction she had created while happily talking to herself. She smiled at them all tiredly while mumbling out a "good morning" as she filled her coffee cup.

Taking her first sip of the hot bitter liquid, Nora realized that the normally early risers were nowhere in sight. "Where are Ryan and Casey?" She asked the present family members.

Everyone shrugged their answers as Marti voiced, "They're still sleeping. Casey was up late last night. She hasn't been sleeping very good."

Nora felt a twinge of guilt at the fact that her daughter was losing sleep because of the problems between them. Finishing off her coffee, she went upstairs to wake Ryan and then to talk to Casey to try and fix what had become of their relationship. Panic filled her when she walked into Ryan's room and found the room empty. She went to all of her normal hiding spots, and found them all empty. Deciding to check one last place before she really began to freak out, Nora quietly opened the door to Casey's room and frowned at the sight she saw before her. There, on the bed, was Ryan fast asleep, lying comfortably curled up next to Casey.

As if sensing someone in the room, Casey's eyes opened to see her mother glaring at her. Before she knew it, Nora made her way over to the bed and gently shook Ryan awake. "Good morning, Baby." She said gently to the sleepy child, "It's time to get up. There's breakfast downstairs. Go down and eat before we get ready for the day."

Ryan nodded, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she did what she was told. The room was silent as both of the occupants waited until they couldn't hear her footsteps anymore. As the tiny pitter-patters faded into the distance, Nora turned an angry glare at Casey, who was now sitting up in her bed, "What are you doing?" She asked, angrily.

Casey furrowed her brow, giving her mother a glare of her own, "What do you mean, 'what was I doing?' She had a nightmare, I was just-"

"Comforting her? That's my job. I'm her mother." Nora said, addressing the very root of the tension that was causing a rift in their relationship: their places in Ryan's life.

Casey pushed herself to a standing position as her face flushed with rage, "You're her mother?" She let out a sardonic laugh, "I'm sorry, but I don't remember seeing you in the hospital bed enduring twenty hours of labor before giving birth to her."

Nora's frown deepened at Casey's words, "No, but we agreed. I am her mother in every way that matters."

Casey's hands clenched into fists, "I never agreed! That was all you! I didn't even have a choice. You didn't even ask me what I wanted!"

"You were barely seventeen! You didn't know what you wanted. I was looking out for you. For both of you!" Nora argued. "I'm the mother, it's my job to decide what's best for you."

Casey shook her head, feeling her body shake, "You're right, you're _my_ mother. Not Ryan's."

Nora looked at her with wide, angry, mocking eyes, "Oh, so you think you could've done better than I have? You don't know the first thing about taking care of a child!"

"I never got the chance!" Casey yelled, feeling hot, angry tears burning her eyes, "You took her away from me!"

Nora shook her head in defiance, "I never took her from you, I was doing what was right."

Casey's face fell, "How is _any_ of this right?" She questioned, "Her whole life is a lie! Everything she knows, is a lie!"

Nora's eyes narrowed, "No. She knows me as her mother. That's not a lie."

"But it _is_!!" Casey yelled, her voice cracking with emotion, "Because you're not her mother!! She didn't grow inside of you. You didn't nurture her with your body. You never felt her move inside of you. You didn't give her life!"

"You think just because you carried her for nine months, that makes you a mother?" She asked sarcastically, "Well, then tell me. Where were you when she had the chicken pox and I stayed up all night with her making sure her temperature didn't go over 101? Where were you after Edwin let her watch The Grudge and she was terrified to sleep by herself? Where were you when she fell off the monkey bars and had to get four stitches in her head? Hmm? You weren't there. I was. That's what makes me her mother."

Casey's body went rigid at her mother's last words. She could feel her heart pumping fiercely with rage; partly because she knew that what she said was true, and mostly because she never got the chance to do any of those things. She was about to argue that point when the sound of the front door opening and closing echoed from downstairs.

"Hey family!"

Casey's eyes widened as the familiar voiced rang through the house and her face blanched as she heard two small voices scream, "DEREK!!"


	4. Smartipants and Monkey Girl

**A/N**: Sorry I didn't get to update yesterday. I hope that this makes up for it. It's mostly Derek, since I haven't really written him into the story yet. I know that I promised a flashback chapter, but it's taking a long time to write, there are many points I have to hit, and so I decided that I would add this one in... It's another filler chapter. Sorry again for the long wait and thanks so much for the reviews!

**Summary**: Back from her second year of college, Casey MacDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Life with Derek or any of the characters from the show. Ryan Grace, however, is the creation of my having too much time on my hands. My sister just pointed out to me that this kinda resembles a movie on Lifetime starring Danielle Panabaker... I just want to say that, no; I do not own that either.

**Chapter 2: Smarti-pants and Monkey Girl**

Derek Venturi stared up at his house as he stepped out of his car and stretched. That was definitely the last time he drove home from school. Whose bright idea was it to drive from Minneapolis to London, anyway? Oh, that's right, his stupid best friend Josh. "It won't be that long of a drive, Minnesota borders Canada." He had said, "It shouldn't take more than eight hours... Ten tops!" Yeah, Derek wished it only took ten hours. Instead, it took close to fifteen! He left at eight in the morning and ended up staying overnight in a small rinky-dink hotel just inside the border. His back was killing him from the hard bed he had to sleep on and his butt was sore from sitting in the car for so long. Feeling his legs cramping, he made a mental note to kill Josh when he returned to campus at the end of the summer.

Tossing the thoughts of murder and his aching body aside, Derek reached into the backseat of his car to pull out his luggage. Throwing the large, over-stuffed duffel over his shoulder, he let out a sigh at the sight of his childhood home. It was the place he grew up, took his first steps, and said his first words. It was the place where his mother had told him that she was leaving, and where his father told him he was marrying someone else. It was the place where he got his first kiss, got to second base for the first time, and where he received his first hickey. It was also the place where he first fell in love. Derek frowned at the last part, shaking his head to erase it from his thoughts. He didn't want to think of that, it was over.

Deciding to take his thoughts to another place, his mind went to the smiling faces, which were sure to greet him. Two in particular. A grin spread on his face as he thought of the little girls who thought the world of him and vice versa. The idea of seeing them propelled his feet forward, leading him towards the house.

"Hey, Family!" He called out after he opened the door and dropped his stuff.

Immediately he heard excited squeals and the scraping of chairs on the floor, before he heard quick little footsteps coming towards him from the kitchen. "Derek!!" He smiled widely as two of his favorite girls rounded the corner and screamed.

"Smarti-pants!" He called out, wrapping his arms around her as Marti reached him first. "How're you? Miss me?" He asked with an arrogant smile.

Marti pulled back with an arrogant smile of her own, "Not as much as you missed me." She said with a giggle.

Derek shook his head with a laugh, "I wouldn't doubt it." He agreed before turning to the smaller girl as she pulled his sleeves and signaled for him to lift her up. His breath caught in his throat as he peered into the large blue eyes, which were so similar to the ones he used to get lost in so easily. He bent down, trying to compose himself, as he picked the little girl up in his arms. "Ryan! Wow! Is that really you?" He asked, jokingly as he held her out in front of him.

She nodded her head vigorously, sending her curly dark hair to fly all over the place. "Yeah, I'm getting big aren't I?" She said proudly.

He laughed, "You really are. You're getting old, too!"

She nodded her head again, "I know!!" She said excitedly, "My birthday is gonna be really soon and I'm gonna be this many!" She stated, hold up four fingers, "Then, I'm gonna be big like you!"

"I think that's going to be in a while," Derek said affectionately, "Besides, I don't think I want you to be big."

She scrunched her eyebrows, and he grudgingly noted, once again, how much she looked like Casey. He then wanted to kick himself as he thought that maybe her resemblance to the older McDonald was part of the reason why he loved her so much. "Why?" She asked, drawing him out of his unwanted thoughts.

"Because then you wouldn't be my Little Monkey Girl anymore." He stated simply, trying to hold in the smile that came to his lips as her face fell in horror.

She shook her head, "I don't wanna get big anymore."

Derek laughed, "Good." He said, leading them into the living room and sitting in his chair, settling Ryan on his lap and signaling for Marti to do the same. "So, where are Edwin, Lizzie, Dad, and Nora?" He asked once Marti found a comfortable spot on his thigh.

"Dad had to go to work, and Lizzie and Edwin just left for the amusement park, and Mommy is upstairs." Mari answered, not revealing the fact that Casey was upstairs with her mother, as well. She shrugged. 'He didn't ask,' she justified to herself.

"So, it's just us?" Derek asked, content with just hanging out with just the two for a couple of hours.

Marti saw Ryan open her mouth, but stopped her as she answered first, "Yep. You're all ours." She said with a smile, before adding, "So, you can give us our gifts now."

Ryan's face brightened, "Yeah! Gifts!!"

Derek laughed, "What makes you think I brought you guys anything?"

Marti just smirked in response, "Because you always do." She stated, and Ryan just nodded her agreement.

Derek lifted the two off his lap as he stood, "Gosh, well maybe next time I won't." He joked with mock seriousness.

Ryan laughed, "Yes you will," She said knowingly, earning a chuckle from Derek as he dug through his bag.

Finding what he was looking for, he went back into the living room and stood before the eager children. He handed Marti an envelope and chuckled when she looked at him with confusion. "Just open it, Smarti."

As curiosity took over, Marti did what she was told and ripped open the white paper biding. She pulled out two tickets. "Tickets?" She asked, intrigued as she began to skim the tickets. "Oh my Gosh!" She exclaimed with excitement!! "Seriously?!"

Derek nodded, "Well, I know how much you love theater now, and I know that with your whole cat obsession, The Lion King was your favorite movie. So when I saw that the Broadway production of The Lion King was coming to Minneapolis, I had to get a ticket for you." He said with a smile.

Marti jumped into his arms, wrapping her arms around him tightly, "Thank you!! This is great!! You're coming with me, right?" She asked, still hugging him.

He nodded, "Yep, I have the other ticket in my wallet."

She nodded, "Good. What's with the plane ticket? Didn't you drive here?" She asked, gesturing to the other ticket that she got in the envelope.

"Yeah, I did. So I bought you a plane ticket, because, trust me. You do not want to drive down there." He said with a grimace, rubbing a hand over his butt.

Marti laughed, "So when are we going?"

"August 1st." He answered, "It'll be before we both go back to school. We could spend the weekend there. I might even let you go to the Mall."

"THE mall?!" She squealed with excitement. "The Mall of America?! The one with the park inside?!" He nodded, and she squealed again, "Did I tell you that you are the BEST big brother EVER?!"

He shook his head, "No you didn't, but I know I am." He laughed as Marti just shook her head in good humor.

"What 'bout me?" Ryan whined from her spot on the floor. "Where's my present?" She asked, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout.

'Damn it, why does she have to look so much like her?' He asked himself. "Don't worry, Monkey Girl, I didn't forget about you." He assured her, pulling out a stuffed monkey from his bag.

"A monkey!" She screamed, hurriedly grabbing it from Derek and squeezing it in a hug, "Thank you!!"

Derek smiled, "I saw it and I thought of you. I knew I had to get it for you." He said, remembering how he saw it in a display in the Mall on his way to Hooters with the guys from his team.

"I love it!" She said, hugging him.

He pulled her up into his arms, "Does that mean I did good?" She nodded, "Good enough for a hug and a kiss?" He asked, and smiled when she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and gave him a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"You are the bestest big brother in the whole world," She told him with a smile.

"The whole universe," Marti chimed in, hugging torso.

He smiled, "Aww... Shucks." They laughed, "It helps when you have the best little sisters ever."

"We are pretty great, aren't we?" Mari said, cocking her head to the side in wonder.

He laughed.

"This is the best summer ever," Ryan said, pulling back from his embrace with a smile that could outshine the sun place perfectly on her lips.

"Is it?" Derek asked, affection lacing his words and shining in his eyes.

She nodded, "Yeah. You and Tasey are here!"

Derek wrinkled his eyebrows, "Tasey?"

"Yeah!" She answered, "She's my sister."

Marti watched with concern as her brother's face drained of all color and emotion. "Derek?" She asked.

He looked at her blankly, not being able to register anything but the fact that Casey was there. In his house. In their house. In _the_ house. He didn't even realize that Ryan had wriggled from his arms and began to pull him up the stairs, leading him to come face to face with the one person he was not ready to see.

"Mommy, Tasey look who's here!" He heard Ryan say, and he snapped out of his daze.

He blinked his eyes, searching his surroundings until his gaze connected with hers. Brown met blue in an electrifying, soul-penetrating gaze for a brief second before he heard her voice in an almost inaudible whisper, "Oh, my God." Her eyes closed instantly and her body fell to the ground.

Pandemonium broke out as everyone rushed to her aid, but nothing registered in his brain. The only thought he had was one word, which he voiced, in a husky whisper, "Casey."

A/N: I know, it wasn't that good. But I wanted to show how Derek interacts with the newest Venturi.


	5. Flashback

**A/N**: Sorry it took so long. And the ending kinda sucks because I'm supposed to go shopping with my sister. Thanks for all of the reviews. They really make me happy... Ask my sister, she thought I was crazy because I was grinning like an idiot.

**Summary**: Back from her second year of college, Casey MacDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Life with Derek or any of the characters from the show. Ryan Grace, however, is the creation of my having too much time on my hands. My sister just pointed out to me that this kinda resembles a movie on Lifetime starring Danielle Panabaker... I just want to say that, no; I do not own that either. I don't own Mean Girls...

**Chapter 2: Flashback**

_**November 17, 2006**_

Casey was in a state of euphoria when she walked into the house after school. The whole day went off without a hitch: her classes were good, she didn't have any embarrassing moments, and she hadn't seen Derek since breakfast. As if the day couldn't get any better, she had a date with Sam to celebrate their first anniversary. She smiled to herself as she thought about the balloons he had left at her locker with a note saying, "Happy Anniversary- see you at 7pm." She let out a giddy squeal as she took off her coat and began to hang it up.

"Derek!" She yelled as he hurried into the house and bumped her into the coat rack. "I'm standing here!"

Derek didn't even give her a glance as he continued walking by her, mumbling a low, "Unfortunately" as he stared down at the large white envelope in his hands.

Casey grew curious as she watched him stare at the envelope with mysticism. "What is it?" She asked, but her question seemingly fell upon deaf ears as Derek just continued to stare down. Growing impatient and more than slightly annoyed with her stepbrother, Casey rolled her eyes, "You know, it kind of helps to open it. I might be easier to read it that way."

Derek was in a trance as he started to rip open the envelope with fervor. Pulling out the contents, he began to read the top letter, "Oh my God." He whispered as shock slipped into his features.

Casey watched his face closely and concern filled her, "What? What does it say?" She asked stepping closer to him.

"Oh, my God." He repeated as his shock gave way to excitement.

Casey was about to ask, once again, what was in the letter when something strange happened. Derek had closed the distance between them and threw his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. Casey's eyes widened and her body went stiff with surprise. Her first instinct was to pull away, but as his arms held her tightly, she felt her body relax into the warmth of his embrace.

"I got in!" He whispered his excitement into her hair.

She was about to ask where he got into, but the door began to open. As the door creaked, Derek pulled back abruptly. Casey looked at him with confusion, but he refused to meet her gaze. Instead, he brushed passed her and went to share his news with the newcomers. "Dad! Nora! I got in!" He informed them, and they all began to hug him.

A barrage of "Oh, my God! That's great!" "Good job, Son. I'm proud." "Yay, Smerek!" and other congratulations echoed throughout the house, as Casey just stood there, even more confused. What was going on? Where was Derek accepted? What was in that letter? And the most confusing question: why did her body suddenly feel so cold and empty?

"Isn't it great, Casey?" Nora asked, turning to her daughter with a smile.

Casey looked at her mother, "Umm... Yeah... it's great." She answered, her confusion lacing each word. "Umm... What exactly are we talking about? What's going on?"

"My boy, here, just got accepted into one of the most prestigious hockey academies in North America." George said with a proud smile on his face as he through an arm around Derek's shoulders.

"Really? That is great!" Casey said, with a genuine smile on her face, "When do you start?"

Derek looked in her direction, but he still avoided her eyes, "Well, I won't start until the next semester, so I'll probably leave just after the new year."

Casey scrunched her brows, "Leave?"

Derek didn't even nod, instead, Nora answered, "Yeah. The academy is in Minnesota, so he'll be staying in a dorm down there."

Casey's face fell, "Oh."

Derek's eyes widened at the sadness in her voice. His eyes went to hers, trying to read her thoughts, but her eyes averted to the ground, "Aren't you happy, Case?" He asked with a hint of spite and hope laced together, "You're getting what you want- a Derek-free house."

"Yeah," She agreed half-heartedly, "Maybe now living here will actually be tolerable." Her words defied her quiet, dejected voice.

Nora, George and Marti all looked at each other, questioningly, as Derek stared at Casey, trying to get her to look back at him. He needed to understand what she was thinking. "Are you okay, Honey?" Nora asked her daughter, squeezing her shoulder in a comforting act of concern.

Casey nodded, "Yeah. I'm fine." She said, still avoiding everyone's gaze, "I'm just... I need to get ready for my date tonight." She finished, walking towards the staircase and away from the family. "It really is great, Derek." She said, turning around and looking at the floor in front of him, "Congratulations." And with that, she went up to the stairs.

As she entered the safe familiarity of her bedroom, Casey plopped onto her bed and wiped at the gentle tears that had begun to fall down her face. Confusion clouded her mind, as she wondered why she wasn't happy that he was leaving. Wasn't that what she wanted all along? She thought it was, but then why did she feel like someone just killed her dog?

Casey was in a daze for the rest of the evening. She had gotten dressed, done her hair, and applied her make up, but she wasn't feeling at all excited anymore. Her dinner with Sam was a disaster, as well. She couldn't even muster up a smile for him when he came to get her in a dark tuxedo and a bouquet of roses. He had attempted to make conversation with her during the meal, but she just couldn't get her mind off of Derek leaving. He eventually grew irritated with her silent, morose demeanor and offered to take her home before dessert.

The ride home was just as quiet as the dinner itself, and it was filled with a strange tension. When Sam pulled up to the house, he just looked at her and sighed exasperatedly, "I don't know what's wrong, but I'm sorry for whatever it is." He said genuinely, and Casey felt guilt form in the pit of her stomach.

"You didn't do anything." She said, honestly, "I'm just not feeling well, tonight."

He looked at her with concern, "Are you okay?"

She nodded and gave him a small smile, "Yeah, I've just got a really bad headache and I'm really tired." Okay, so that was a lie, but what was she supposed to say? 'Yeah, I'm fine. I just can't stop thinking about my stepbrother and I'm completely devastated that he's leaving in a couple months?' No, that probably wouldn't go to well.

"Okay, well, let me walk you to the door and then you should go and take some Tylenol and go to bed." He said, taking off his seatbelt.

"No, you don't have to..." She started, but he was already out of the car and opening her door. "Thanks," she said, taking his hand.

They walked silently to the door, and when the got to the doorway, they both stopped and turned to each other. Clearing his throat, Sam began to say goodnight, "I know you were a little out of it tonight, but I had a good time." He said and Casey shook her head with amusement. He chuckled nervously, "It's true. Anytime I'm around you is the best time." He said sweetly.

Casey sighed at his romantic line, "Aww... That's sweet," She said, "I know I was a lousy date, though."

"Never." He said, and she smiled her first real smile since finding out that Derek was leaving. She placed her hands in his cheeks and pulled him into a sweet kiss.

She felt awful when the only thing she felt was disappointment, when his arms wrapped around her waist and her body didn't warm up like it did earlier. She deepened the kiss, but her body still held the cold empty feeling it had developed since Derek pulled out of their embrace.

She pulled back, breaking the kiss with a sigh, "Goodnight, Sam," She said quietly, with a small, forced smile.

He smiled back at her genuinely, "Goodnight."

She turned away and walked into the house. Derek was sitting in his recliner when she stepped through the door. "Back so early?" He asked sarcastically, "What? Did Sammy Boy get bored with you?"

Casey stared at him with a glare, before turning away and marching up the stairs. Why the Hell wasn't she happy that he was going? He was awful to her! She wondered as she started to change into clothes that are more comfortable.

Derek watched her retreat from the room and continued to stare long after she was gone. Why had he said that to her? He didn't mean to, but somehow he always ended up being mean to her. He mentally kicked himself before going up the stairs.

Casey heard a knock on her door after she had finished changing and taken off all of her makeup. She swung the door open and crossed her arms with a scowl when Derek was revealed. "What do you want?" She asked harshly.

He leaned against her doorframe in his usual cocky manner, "Well, you see," He began nonchalantly, "I was about to watch a movie when I thought about you up here all alone. So, I decided to extend you and invitation to watch it with me..." She raised an amused and confused eyebrow, "You know, since you're alone and I'm... well... It kinda sucks watching a funny movie when no one else is around to laugh with you... Even if the other person is you." He said, as a small smile began to form on her face.

Her smile faltered slightly, but the amusement stayed in her eyes, "What movie?" She asked and he held up the case with a smile of his own, "Mean Girls?" She asked with a chuckle.

"Hey!" He defended, "This movie is a classic!" She continued to laugh, "And it helps that the movie is about hot girls fighting." He winked and she rolled her eyes. "So, are you in?"

Casey put a finger to her chin, pretending to think it through, "I guess, since I have nothing better to do." She said as if the idea was almost unbearable. However, in reality, she felt like she was soaring. Why? She hadn't the slightest idea, but being able to be around Derek sounded like the greatest thing in the world.

"Good" he said with a genuine smile before turning out of the room and leading the way down the stairs.

At the beginning of the movie, the air between the two was filled with an awkward tension, but as the movie progressed, the tension dissipated and the pair began to tease and laugh with each other.

"That's going to be you in fifteen years," Casey said, pointing to the screen at the coach/health teacher.

"No way!" Derek denied, throwing some popcorn at his brunette companion. "I'm so much better looking than he is, and I know more about sex than that!"

Casey rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Looks fade. And what do you know about sex?"

Derek smirked, "Wouldn't you like to know?" He commented, wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

"Derek!" She laughed, throwing some of her own popcorn at him as a small blush filled her cheeks.

Derek laughed, "Fine, I'm the coach. At least I have hot Asian chicks fighting over me! You, on the other hand, are the teacher that Tina Fay plays."

"No!" Casey shook her head, "I'm not her."

"It's either her, or Regina George's mother." Derek laughed.

"I'm _definitely_ not her." Casey denied.

"Fine then, you're the teacher."

"Ugh! Fine!" She said, throwing more popcorn at him.

Derek opened his mouth and caught one of the buttery puffs and grinned at her. Casey just rolled her eyes, "You're impossible." She said with mock exasperation.

"Impossibly irresistible." He said cockily, winking at her.

"Sure," She said with a roll of her eyes.

He smirked, "You know I am."

"I don't know anything of the sort." She replied, crossing her arms in front of her.

In the blink of an eye, he was hovering over her and tickling her sides as she wriggled beneath him. "Say it!"

She laughed, "Never!"

He continued his attack on her ribs, "Say it!"

Casey gasped for breath through her laughter, "Ne-ver!"

He just laughed at her stubborness, "You know it's true, why don't you just admit it."

"Fine!" Casey said, trying to wriggle from underneath him and away from his quick fingers, "Fine!" She said again, in defeat, "You're irresistible!" His fingers stopped and she quickly slid away from him with a devious smile on her lips, "NOT!"

"Hey!" He said, chasing after her as she started to run away from him. They ran around the living room and right before he was about to capture her, they tripped and fell to the ground. He landed right next to her and they both burst out into a fit of hysterical giggles.

"Wow." Casey said, trying to regain her composure, "We should really do this more often."

Derek nodded, "Yeah, we should. You're pretty cool," He said genuinely, before a mischievous glint came to his eye, "For a Polly preppy-pants and all."

"Hey!" She exclaimed, before hitting his shoulder in a joking manner.

Just then, the door opened and George and Nora came into the house. "Hey kids, how was your night?" Nora asked, taking off her coat.

"Good." The teens answered at the same time, before looking at each other and bursting into another fit of giggles.

George and Nora just looked at each other and shrugged. "Well, we are going to head to bed," Nora informed them, "Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti are at their friends' houses. You two can stay up, but please be quiet."

"Actually, I have to get up tomorrow to go shopping with Emily, so I'm going to bed." Casey said, standing up. She walked over to her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Good night everyone." She said, as she walked up the stairs.

Derek smiled after her and shook his head at the night's events.

_December 22, 2006_

True to their word, Casey and Derek began to hang out more and more. The house was a lot more peaceful, besides the constant teasing between the two. The world seemed to be more lively and nonviolent, however, all was not well in the relationship between Casey and Sam. It seemed that, as Derek and Casey fought less and less, Sam and Casey fought more and more.

I was the last day of school before winter break, and Casey and Sam had one of their infamous fights in the middle of the hallway. No one knew what it was about, but everyone knew how it ended- Sam and Casey were no more.

Casey thought that she would be torn apart over the break up, but she was strangely at peace with it. She knew that they weren't good together anymore. Somehow, things turned sour, and she was okay with that. She walked home with Emily and said goodbye to her before stepping into her house. She smiled when she saw Derek in his recliner. "Hey," She said to him as she hung up her winter coat.

Derek didn't smile at her as he returned her greeting, "Hey."

A frown quickly replace the smile on her face, "What's wrong?" She asked, stepping into the room.

Derek looked at her and sighed, "My mom called," He started, "She wants to spend some time with me before I go to school in January."

"Okay...?" Casey asked slowly, trying to understand how that was a bad thing.

"Edwin, Marti and I are going to spend Christmas down there and then I'm staying there until school starts." He finished, sadly.

Casey's eyes popped, "What? No."

Derek just nodded lamely.

"That's not fair. She never bothers to see you any other time, why does she want to see you now? We only have a little time before you leave, and now she's just... No. You're not going." She rambled, angrily.

Derek stood up and looked into her eyes, "It sucks, but she's my mother. I kinda have to go."

Casey just shook her head, feeling tears prick her eyes. "No you don't, you just don't want to fight. You want to go!" Casey pushed him, "Then go, Derek! I don't care! Leave!" She yelled, pushing him again, before running up the stairs and locking herself in her room.

Casey stayed in her room for the rest of the night, refusing to come down for dinner. She found out that Derek and the others were leaving bright and early the next morning, but she didn't want to say goodbye. She couldn't understand why she was so angry. She already knew he was leaving, what's a couple of days? Right? But she couldn't help it. She was angry. She was angry that he was going at all, especially after they had started to get closer... Especially after she had started to fall in love with him.

She felt more tears start to make their way down her face, when a gently knock sounded on her door. She didn't answer as she wiped furiously at the tears, she knew who it was before they even said anything. It was after midnight, and the only other person who would be up that late was the one person she really didn't want to see.

"Casey?" Derek whispered into the darkness as he opened the door and stepped into her room. Casey didn't respond. "Casey, I know you're awake, I just want to talk to you." He closed the door as he made his way farther into her room.

"What do you want, Derek?" She asked, her voice breaking slightly as she stared at her wall.

"I'm leaving in a few hours and I didn't want to go without saying goodbye and..." His voice tapered off.

Curious, Casey rolled over and sat up to look at him. She was vaguely aware that tears were falling from her eyes, but she didn't care, "And what?" She asked.

Derek reached out a hand to brush away her falling tears, "You're crying." He stated. "You know I hate tears." He tried to joke, lamely. "I'm sorry."

Casey looked at him, questions shining in her eyes, "For what?"

Derek shrugged, "For everything." Casey's eyes fell, and he lifted her chin, "I'm sorry for being so mean to you for the past year. I'm sorry that I'm leaving now... And I'm sorry that it took me so long to do this."

"To do what?" Casey asked. And he answered her with his lips, as he pressed them gently against hers. Casey's heart soared to new heights as his lips ran over hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. He lips burned from his, and as his tongue traced her lower lip, she thought for sure they were going to catch on fire. She opened her mouth, granting his tongue entrance to play with her, and moaned in pleasure as they dueled.

Her body grew warm as he covered her, laying her back onto the bed. Her body was hot, but shivers went through her as his fingers and hands roamed her skin, gently discarding her clothes.. She was vaguely aware of her own movements, as she freed Derek from his own binding pajamas.

The heavens seemed to have opened up as their naked bodies tangled together in a sweaty heap. Moans and gasps filled the air as ecstasy and passion filled the two. The world spun faster, meteorites crashed, and stars exploded as the final waves of passion washed over them and the collapsed together.

After he caught his breath, Derek pulled Casey closer to him as he rolled over, "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you." He asked, concern lacing his whispered voice.

Casey nodded, she did feel the pain of a girl's first time, and even then, she throbbed, but it was a wonderful throbbing. "I'm wonderful." She said, snuggling into his chest.

Derek ran his fingers through her slightly damp hair, "Casey?" He asked, after a moment of silence passed between them.

Casey lifted her head, "Hmm?"

He looked deep into her bright blue eyes, and got lost in the depths of their ocean, "I love you." He told her.

Casey gasped, searching his face and eyes for any hint of dishonesty... She found none. "I love you, too." She admitted.

He smiled and kissed her gently on the lips before allowing her to fall asleep on his chest.

The next morning, Casey awoke in her bed, alone.

_January 13, 2007_

Three weeks! It had been three weeks since Derek left, and she hadn't gotten one phone call! George had informed her that he had called on Christmas, but her and Lizzie had made a last minute trip to spend the holiday with their father, so she had missed his call. But he hadn't called since! She was inwardly seething. Why hadn't he called? Did that night not mean as much to him as it did to her? Was it all some sick joke? Did he just use her?

Casey was sitting in her room fighting back tears of rage when her mother called her downstairs. She picked herself up, and made her way to the stairs where she saw Sam waiting by the door.

"Hey?" She greeted him, in a questioning manner.

"Hey," He said, shifting his weight from one foot to another, "Ummm... Can we talk?" He asked.

She nodded, walking down the rest of the stairs to the living room. "What's up?" She asked.

It turned out that Sam missed her. He knew that they broke up because they fought a lot, but he thought that they could work it out. Casey was shocked, she wasn't expecting that. Her first thought was Derek, but then she remembered that he hadn't called or even attempted to talk to her since that night. She knew that she wasn't in love with Sam, but she had liked him a lot. Maybe she could forget about Derek and fall in love with Sam. And just like that, she was Sam's girlfriend again.

_That night_

Derek had been swamped since his arrival at the school. He had practice in the mornings before classes, then another three hour practice after class, and after that, they had mandatory tutoring. He was always so dead after everything, he would just collapse in bed before it all began again. He finally had some time for himself, and all that he could think about was Casey. He hadn't heard her voice for three weeks. He had tried to talk to her on Christmas, but she was at her dad's. Then he just never had time, but he missed her so much. There wasn't a moment that went by where her face didn't come to his mind.

He smiled to himself, as he picked up his phone and dialed the familiar number to his house, "Hello?" Edwin answered.

"Edwin! How's it going? Has the world gone completely mad without me?" He asked, jokingly.

Edwin laughed, "Oh yeah, it's complete mayhem now that the great Derek Venturi has left for the states."

"Good," Derek laughed. "So, is umm... Casey around?" He asked, trying to remain nonchalant.

Edwin smirked knowingly, but then his face fell when he remembered where Casey was, "Ummm... No, she's actually out."

"Out? Where?" He asked, trying not to seem to concerned. 'She's probably out with Emily.' He thought to himself.

"Umm... Well..." Edwin stuttered. "She's kinda on a date. Her and Sam got back together this morning."

Derek felt his heart stop in his chest, "What?"

"Yeah... It just kinda happened." Edwin said, feeling bad for his brother, "I'm sorry."

Derek shook his head, "Don't be. " He said, before feeling the need to get off of the phone, "I uh... I have to go. I'll talk to you later." He hung up without waiting for a response. He needed to breathe. He got up and rushed out of the dorms, heading to the outside rink at the edge of the school grounds.

He shivered in the cold as he stared out of his tear filled eyes. His chest hurt in the worst possible way, and he was so confused. 'How could she get back together with Sam? I thought she loved me.' He thought to himself, before anger set in. 'What the Hell? It hasn't even been over three weeks and she's already shacking back up with my best friend?' He wanted to kick something. He wanted to scream and beat the shit out something... Or someone. But mostly, he wanted the pain to stop. He didn't want to love her anymore. He wanted to hate her. He never wanted to see her again. And yet, it was all he wanted.

_February 4, 2007_

Sam and Casey had been going out for three weeks, and their relationship started to turn physical after the first week. She didn't want to at first, but she wanted something to erase the memory of her and Derek. However, that wasn't the case. Each time he touched her, she thought of how Derek used to touch her. Every time her kissed her, she thought about Derek's kisses. She just couldn't get him out of her mind.

After three weeks, Casey began to feel sick. Her mother grew really concerned, as her daughter threw up violently at least twice a day. She ended up taking Casey to the doctor's office, wanting to make sure she didn't have some kind of virus or something.

The doctor ran a couple of tests, and Nora and her had been waiting for the results in the office. The air was filled with a nervous tension until the doctor came back, "Okay, Casey." The doctor began, walking into the room, reviewing her file, "We have your results. Would you like your mother to stay in here with you?" She asked, looking from the teen to her mother and back again.

Casey nodded, "Yeah, I think so."

The doctor looked at her again, "Are you sure?"

"If I have some disease or something, please just tell me now." Casey said, growing even more nervous.

The doctor sighed, "Don't worry, you aren't dying of any disease. However," The doctor paused and looked at Casey seriously, "You're pregnant."

Casey's heart stopped. She couldn't have heard right. "What?" She squeaked out.

"You're pregnant." The doctor repeated.

Casey felt the wind knock out of her. She looked over to her mother and saw her eyes wide, her jaw dropped and her face as white as snow. Casey closed her eyes and prayed that it wasn't real, that it wasn't really happening. But when she opened her eyes, she was met with the same dark office, the same serious look on the doctor's face, and the same swirling in her stomach.

Casey stood up and emptied her stomach in the trash can near by. When she was done, she slid to the ground. She only had one thought, "Shit."


	6. And the Games Begin

**A/N**: Sorry it took so long, again... I was stuck for a little bit... But I'm back now. Sorry it's so short, but I am actually late and I have to be somewhere... But I felt like I needed to get something up. Thanks for all of your reviews! Some of them really gave me ideas!

**Summary**: Back from her third year of college, Casey MacDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Life with Derek or any of the characters from the show. Ryan Grace is mine, though.

**Chapter 6: And the Games Begin**

Marti watched Casey sleep with intensity. At ten years old, no one ever thought that she knew what happened in anyone else's life; however, she was a lot more perceptive than anyone ever gave her credit for. She knew many things that no one ever voiced to her. She knew that her brother Edwin got "special" magazines once a month and hid them under his mattress. She knew that Lizzie kissed her boyfriend's best friend. She knew that her father went out with the people most Saturdays when he would tell Nora that he was working. Marti wasn't as naive as everyone thought. She had secrets, and since things weren't right with Casey and Nora and Derek was home, those secrets were going to be blown open... And the shit was going to hit the fan.

Marti held her breath as Casey's eyes started to flutter open. "Hey, Casey," Marti said, hesitantly as her pain-filled groans filled the room. "How're you feeling?"

"Ugh. My head hurts," Casey said, bringing her hands to her head and clenching her eyes shut. "What happened?"

A blanked of confusion and disbelief covered Marti's features, "You don't remember?"

Casey's eyes narrowed in concentration before the memory of Derek and Ryan flashed before her. A wave of emotions passed through her, Marti watched as first shock, happiness, sadness, anger, and then confusion shone through her eyes. "You hit your head when you fainted." Marti told her, answering the unasked question she thought would be on Casey's mind.

Casey nodded, rubbing her temples gingerly, hoping to alleviate some of the pain. She gave up after a moment and looked around her room, "Where-"

"Mom's on the phone with the doctor. She was wondering if we should bring you in." Marti answered again as Casey's voice faltered. "She had to drag Ryan out with her because she was freaking out. And Der..."

She stopped when she saw Casey's body stiffen and her eyes go hard. Following her gaze, Marti saw Derek standing in the doorway, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. Silence enveloped the room's inhabitants, sheathing them in a thick tense cloud.

Marti's eyes flitted between Casey and Derek as they stared into each other's eyes, unmoving. She could see the questions, the hurt, the intensity, and most of all the anger in both of blue and brown orbs. She knew that they were going to have it out; they would yell, scream, and most likely curse. They would throw things and push each other. Then there would be tears, and then silence. The questions would all be answered except for one, "What now?" She shook her head, watching them battle with their eyes, and she knew that they weren't going to say anything in front of her. She was too young and naive, and it was their secret, they didn't want to start in front of her. She wasn't supposed to know.

Resigning to that fact, Marti stood up from her seat and began walking to the door, "I'm going to get you some Tylenol." She said, before disappearing from the room. 'And the games begin,' she thought as she rounded the corner and down the stairs.

The room remained silent for a moment before Derek broke the gaze to look at the floor and shuffled his feet. He took a breath, regaining his normally calm composure, and leaned against the doorway. "That was quite some fall you had there," He said, his usual arrogance lacing his words, giving him the appearance of certainty that he didn't feel. "You always had a flare for the dramatics."

Casey was spitting fire. How dare he joke with her! How dare he even talk to her like nothing happened- like they were friends!!

Derek paused, looking at Casey, but she didn't make a sound. "There was a time when I took all-" He continued, until he was cut off by a low, hate-filled, threatening growl.

"Why the fuck are you here?" Casey asked, venomously.

Derek took a step back as though he were slapped in the face. He felt shocked by her harshness, before his own anger settled in. His eyes darkened with fire, "What the fuck are you talking about, Case?"

Casey shivered at the nickname, "Don't. Call. Me. That." She said, seething. "And you know damn well what I mean. Almost five years, why the fuck are you here now?"

Derek's fists clenched in rage, "I've been back before," 'just not while you were here,' he added in his head. "Why the Hell do you care anyway?" He asked, glaring at her with eyes so cold, Jack Frost would shiver. "What? Sammy grew bored again and you need someone else to warm your bed?"

Casey's eyes widened with shock, "What the Hell do you mean by that?"

"I mean-" He started, but his words were cut off by Nora.

"Casey, I just got off the phone with the doctor," Nora started, coming into the room. She could feel the tension between the two young adults, but she continued on, "she said that we should check for signs of a concussion, but that, if there aren't any chronic symptoms, you don't need to go in."

Casey nodded, ripping her eyes away from Derek's, "Okay." She said, her voice still hard. She hadn't forgotten the fight they were having, and she wasn't feeling very forgiving. She was on the defensive side, as two of the people she loved and trusted most in the world and then betrayed her, stood before her. She felt them pulling the ground out beneath her feet, and she needed something to hold onto. She needed something to keep her grounded.

"Tasey!!" A weepy voice called to her, and a smile came to Casey's lips as Ryan jumped onto the bed and into her arms. She held her tightly, feeling the world stabilize.


	7. Blue Eyed Girl

**A/N:** Hey, thanks for all of the "get well soon" messages. I was hit with sudden inspiration, and my coffee kicked in, so I was able to finish this chapter before the deadline that I gave myself. I appreciate all of you who have been sticking with me. I'm trying to push this story along, so there are some important moments in here... Pay attention, because, though they aren't too subtle, they could be easy to miss...

Someone asked if I could put up everyone's ages... So here you go.

Ryan: 3 (almost 4)

Marti: 10

Lizzie: 16

Edwin: 16

Casey: just turned 21

Derek: 21

Nora: 44

George: 46

**Summary:** Back from her third year of college, Casey MacDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Life with Derek. If I did, it would be a lot more dramatic and I don't believe that they would allow it to air on the Disney Channel.

**Chapter 6: Blue Eyed Girl**

It was Tuesday morning and Casey sat in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee between her hands as she thought back on the last few days. Her mother and she fell into a completely silent coexistence, equipped with warning glances, stubborn glares, and unnoticed pain-filled looks. She had also been avoiding Derek since Saturday night, after they had a not so pleasant encounter.

Casey was thankful for the empty house when she felt her eyes mist over and a wave of emotions hit her as she thought back on the angry exchange.

_**Saturday Night**_

_Casey wasn't allowed to sleep for very long that night, in case she had a concussion. Lizzie was appointed her night guard, and had to wake Casey up every two hours. However, Lizzie's own exhaustion won her over, and sleep closed her eyes and carried her off to dreamland, leaving Casey to take care of herself. _

_Knowing that if she fell asleep, she may never wake up, Casey decided to go downstairs and get some coffee. She quietly walked down the stairs and into the dark kitchen, opting to keep the lights off, not ready to face the thrumming pain that would occur if she switched them on. Her head still ached from her earlier fainting spell, and she just didn't feel like causing herself anymore suffering._

_She navigated her way around the island and towards the coffee machine, putting the ingredients into it before pressing the red button to start the coffee making process. The dark silence was a little unnerving, she hated the way the darkness made her feel alone in the world. She needed something to pierce the silence and make her feel connected to something. Pulling herself away from the counter where she was leaning, she made her way to the radio on the other side of the room. A second after she turned on the machine on, a familiar melody flooded her senses. _

_As the opening verse of Van Morrison's, "Brown Eyed Girl" began, Casey's heart yearned for the times when she would sing this song with her mother and Lizzie. It was their anthem, though, they had changed the words to "Blue Eyed Girl," to better suit them. A lone tear fell down her cheek as she thought of the time when they were all happy and loved each other and all was right in the world. _

_Casey jumped when she heard someone enter the darkened kitchen. Whipping around, Casey came face to face with a beat down, worn-out Derek. Her eyes absorbed his appearance, running an appreciative look over his muscular arms and torso, which were left bare in his shirtless-ness. Her mouth dropped as she took him in, his newfound physical maturity bringing her into a hormone induced daze. He was hotter than she remembered. _

_She caught herself before her thoughts began to drift too far into how his strong hands could make her feel. She immediately clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes into a sharp glare, "What are you doing?" She hissed out._

_Derek's glared back into hers, "For the last time," he started, "This. Is. MY. House." He said it in a slow, condescending manner, he knew would piss her off._

_Casey shook her head, "Fuck you." _

_An evil smirk crossed his features, "I already have." He stated cockily, a coldness lacing his words. "You weren't that good."_

_He thought he saw a flash of hurt in her shining blue orbs, and he was immediately plagued with a feeling of remorse. _

_"Yeah," Casey covered the hurt that she felt from his words with a glare that could kill him thirty times over, "well, you weren't really a walk in the park, either, my friend."_

_"Oh, really?" He questioned with disbelief as he took a slow, deliberate step towards her. "Is that why came undone in my arms that night?" _

_Casey was actually grateful for the darkness when felt a blush tinge her cheeks as she thought about how undone she came that night. "Women fake it all the time." She stated simply._

_He took another slow step towards her, "Which time did you fake it?" He asked, an evil knowing smirk on his face, "The first time you came? Or the second? Or was it the third?"_

_Casey's cheeks grew hotter, 'Did he really make me orgasm that many times that night?' She asked herself. Shaking her head she shrugged, "All of them. I didn't want to hurt your feelings. I know you used to pride yourself on being God's gift to women and all. I didn't have the heart to tell you that you really weren't that much of a prize." Her answer was filled with hate, as she spoke almost flippantly. _

_Derek halted his advance on her, feeling the sting of her words. His_ _face contorted with anger and rage, and his eyes blazed with fury, "So what? Sammy was like winning the lottery compared to me?" He spat, hoping that the hurt he felt didn't lace his words. "Is that why you hopped from my bed to his before the sheets even had time to cool down?" _

_He watched as Casey's eyes filled with shock and confusion and her mouth opened and closed like a fish, "I..."_

_He laughed sardonically, shaking his head, "You know what, Case? I never figured you for a slut." He said, coldly, "I guess I was wrong."_

_The resounding sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed throughout the dark kitchen as Casey slapped Derek across his left cheek. She glared into his brown eyes with an icy hatred that chilled him to the core, "Rot in Hell." She spat before leaving the kitchen, her coffee long forgotten._

_**Present**_

Casey withdrew herself from her thoughts with a shake of the head, wiping away the tears that had escaped from her eyes. She hated that she was crying so much; she hated how weak it made her feel. She got up to dispense her now cold coffee into the sink, when the shrill sound of the telephone rang through the air.

Casey hung up the phone after processing the information that they other person gave her. Derek walked into the house to find Casey frantically searching the living room for something. His eyes narrowed as he watched her, ready to make a nasty remark he opened his mouth to speak when he heard her curse.

"Shit!" She said as something dawned on her, "I let Lizzie use my car to go to practice."

"What happened? Do you have somewhere to be? Did someone call you for a booty call?" He asked with sarcasm and venom in his voice.

Casey just rolled her eyes, "What's it to you?"

He put his hands in his pockets and shrugged, "Nothing. You're pretty frustrated. Are you really that horny? Can't go a few days without sex?"

Casey turned sharply to look at him, "I don't need your shit today, Derek. Ryan's daycare called and she's sick. They can't get a hold of Mom or George and I don't have my fucking car to pick her up." Casey was on the verge of tears, she was so frustrated.

"I'll take you." He said.

Casey stopped her hasty movements, "What?"

"I'll take you to go get her. Come on." He said, turning back to open the door with his car keys in hand.

Casey regarded his actions with suspicion, but followed him out to the car when she figured he was being sincere.

The ride to the daycare was silent and mildly uncomfortable, and both of the car's inhabitants breathed a sigh of relief when they finally reached the parking lot. They both quickly unleashed themselves from the protective binding that their seatbelts provided and left the car to head into the small building. As they entered New Horizon Childcare, they approached the front desk.

"Hi, we're here to pick up Ryan Venturi. We got a call saying that she was sick," Derek said to the lady behind the desk.

The woman smiled warmly at the pair, "Yeah, I heard that her parents would be by. She's in the yellow room, right over there," She said, pointing to a door to the left. "I'll buzz you in."

The second the door unlocked, Casey was walking through it. Her eyes took on a sympathetic look as she saw Ryan's small body lying on a mat covered with a blanket and clutching the new monkey Derek had gotten her. Casey made her way over to her and knelt down, wiping the hair from the child's forehead. Ryan's eyes opened at the gentle caress, "Tasey," She said in a quiet voice that revealed her misery.

"Hey, Babygirl. I heard you weren't feeling well," Casey said in a soft gentle voice, as she continued to caress Ryan's warm cheeks with her finger.

The little girl shook her head slightly, "I frew up," She informed.

Casey smiled slightly at the innocent bluntness of Ryan's words, before holding out her arms. "Come on. We'll take you home and make you feel better."

Derek watched as the small child climbed into Casey's arms and rested her head her shoulder. A nagging feeling crept into his brain as he watched the two before him. He felt the same way when Casey and Ryan held each other after Casey fainted, but he shook it off as nothing at the time. This time, however, the feeling wasn't so easy to shake. There was something about the way Casey held Ryan that just seemed... He didn't know what it seemed like... Motherly? Derek shook his head at that, deeming the thought absurd.

"Hey, Monkeygirl," He addressed the toddler softly as Casey made her way over to him with Ryan cradled safely in her arms, "How're you feeling?"

Ryan didn't move her head from the comfort of Casey's shoulder as she answered, "Bad."

The two adults smiled slightly, "Okay. Let's get you home, then." He said, rubbing her back gently before leading the way to his car.

They returned to the house and changed Ryan into her pajamas, putting her in her bed where she instantly fell asleep. After tucking her in, Derek and Casey walked down the stairs and into the living room in silence.

"Derek," Casey said, breaking the silence, "Can I have your keys?" He raised a brow in question. "I need to run to the store and pick up some Children's Tylenol. We don't have any here."

He nodded, grabbing the keys from his pocket and handing them to her. She smiled her thanks, "I shouldn't be gone too long, but can you check on her in about five minutes? If she gets too hot, you could put a cold, damp cloth on her forehead."

Derek nodded, "Yeah, I'll take care of the little munchkin."

Casey nodded awkwardly at his response before walking toward the door, "I'll be back soon," she said, before she left.

Derek sat in his recliner, absorbing the silence before he grew restless. He got up and went to check on Ryan. He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest, as he watched Ryan sleep. Again, the nagging feeling consumed him. She looked so much like Casey; it was crazy. She had Casey's nose and Casey's eyes. She had her dark hair and her chin. She was like a carbon copy of her. The only thing that was different was the fact that her hair was curly and her smile was different.

"Derek," The small, sleepy voice drew him from his thoughts.

"What's up, Monkey?" He asked, stepping into the room.

Peering up at him through her bright, innocent eyes she asked, "Tan you sing me the song?"

He smiled down at her fondly, "You bet. Do you want me to get my guitar?" She nodded. "Okay, I'll be right back." He told her, leaving the room before returning a moment later with his guitar.

Casey walked into the house, hearing the familiar melody stemming from the soft strums of a guitar. She dropped the keys on the table near the door, before walking up the stairs, following the music. She reached Ryan's bedroom door just in time to hear Derek begin the first refrain.

_"Hey where did we go, Days when the rains came Down in the hollow, Playin' a new game, Laughing and a running hey, hey Skipping and a jumping In the misty morning fog with Our hearts a thumpin' and you My blue eyed girl, You my blue eyed girl." _

She smiled sadly when she heard that he switched the words, just she used to do. She continued to listen unnoticed as he serenaded Ryan. Her smile widened as she watched Ryan's small face brighten with a smile of her own when Derek reached her favorite part.

_"Do you remember when we used to sing, Sha la la la la la la la la la la te da"_

Casey watched the scene in front of her, feeling her eyes sting with tears. She watched as Ryan watched Derek with fondness shining in her ocean blues. She watched the little girl, wishing that things could've been different.

As Derek played the last chords of the song, Casey decided to make her presence known, "Hey, Ryan," She crooned in a voice just above a whisper, "Are you feeling any better?"

Ryan nodded, "Yeah, but my tummy still hurts and my head, too. But I didn't frow up again."

Casey smiled, "That's good." She took the Children's Tylenol out of the pharmacy bag, sitting down on the bed next to Ryan. "I got you some medicine to help you feel a little better."

"Is it cherry?" Ryan asked.

"Yep, I wouldn't buy you anything different." Casey answered and Ryan smiled.

"Good."

Derek watched Casey and Ryan, the nagging feeling now familiar. It was getting harder and harder to dismiss, and he needed to know. He needed confirmation. He began to feel uncomfortable with his thoughts and he felt like he was intruding, so he quietly left the room, leaving Casey to tend to the little one.

Nora and George returned home at the same time, both of them leaving work after they received the message that Ryan was sick. They rushed up the stairs to check on the little girl, but halted at the scene before them.

There, in Ryan's room, was Casey lightly humming to Ryan as she lightly brushed the hair away from her face in a loving manner. George smiled as he saw Ryan's eyes flutter closed and stepped away from the door, tugging gently on Nora's elbow to get her to follow. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he turned to his wife, "We have to talk." He stated.

Nora nodded her head, looking slightly pained and dejected, "I know," She answered him softly.

**A/N:** Okay, the next one is the long awaited chapter that will answer most of your questions. How did this "deal" come about? Why did Nora become a possessive "bitch" when it comes to Ryan? And, of course, is Derek Ryan's daddy?

Don't hate me if it takes awhile for me to get it up, though. School will be starting again, and I'm still feeling sick, and I want the chapter to be perfect... Or as perfect as I can make it.

Thanks again for reading!


	8. Memories

**A/N**: I'm sorry it took so long. School sucks. Plain and simple. This is extremely long, and I hope you all are okay with it... I think I answer most of the questions... It kinda sucks, though. I have attention problems, meaning, nothing holds my attention if it isn't covered in chocolate. So, it kinda pitters out and just forms into a bunch of rambles. For that, I'm sorry. If I ever get motivated, I might redo this chapter, but more than likely, if I don't get too many complaints, it's going to just stay sucky.

There are a couple of parts that are going to be vital to later chapters... But, if you don't catch them, they'll be explained later, anyway.

Please review. I love feedback. Good or bad.

**Summary**: Back from her third year of college, Casey MacDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: Life with Derek no es mio... Lol... Okay, so I don't speak Spanish. But either way, Life with Derek isn't mine.

**Chapter 8: Memories**

Casey watched with amazement as the little girl slept. Her little girl. I was a surreal feeling she always got when Ryan was around, knowing that she was the one who brought her into the world. She was constantly in complete awe over the fact that she gave life to the perfect, little person who slept so angelically and smiled so mischievously. Dismissing everything else, Casey was so overcome with love and happiness every time she saw her. She smiled sadly as her mid went back to she found out she was pregnant.

- -

_**February 4, 2007**_

_The car ride from the doctor's was taken in silence, save for the gentle sobs that stemmed from Casey's throat. Nora didn't know what to say to comfort her daughter, she didn't think there would be anything that could calm her down except for, 'you're not pregnant.' Which, of course, would be a lie. So, Nora didn't say a word. When they pulled up to their house, Casey ran straight to her room._

_She was nearly inconsolable as she sobbed into her pillow. The doctor's words just kept on replaying in her head, "You're about 4-5 weeks a long. Give or take a few weeks." That one sentence sent her into a tailspin. As if hearing that she's pregnant wasn't bad enough, the "give or take" was like running over her cat after putting her dog down. Why couldn't the doctor have been more specific and use the numbers six or three? _

_Casey was disgusted with herself. This kind of thing wasn't supposed to happen to her. She was the preppy, grade grubbing perfectionist. Being pregnant at sixteen wasn't supposed to happen to her. Now, not only was she pregnant, she didn't even know who the father was!_

_"What have I done?" Casey cried to herself. "This isn't me! I don't do this! I should know who is the father of my child! I shouldn't even have a baby's father! I'm only sixteen!" Her sobs took over, once again, wracking her chest until she passed out from exhaustion._

_"Casey?" Nora called out after she knocked on her bedroom door. "Casey, Honey?" Not receiving a response, Nora let herself into the room to find her daughter asleep with dried tears staining her face._

_As if sensing someone in the room, Casey's eyes opened. "Mommy?" Her voice sounded as though it belonged to a small, scared child, "I'm- I'm so s- sorry."_

_Nora's heart broke as her daughter broke down before her, "It's okay, Honey. It's okay."_

_Casey cried in her mother's arms until her body was completely dry and devoid of tears. As Casey began to calm down, Nora pulled away to look he in the eyes, "Casey, I know you're scared. And it's okay to be scared."_

_"Everyone's going to hate me, Mom," Casey said, distraught, "They're going to think I'm a slut. They're going to think of me as some skanky bitch who got pregnant." Her mouth dropped as if realization hit her, "Oh, my God. I'm a skitch! I'm a dirty, pregnant skitch!"_

_Nora wrinkled her brow at the term before shaking it off, "Casey, you're not a slitch or whatever you called yourself. You're a teenager and you messed up. That doesn't make you a bad person, just human." She comforted._

_"Mom, I don't mess up like this. I don't do this kind of thing. I'm not the type of girl who gets pregnant in high school!" Casey's anger at herself was apparent in her tone of voice._

_"Casey, calm down," Nora said calmly, "There isn't a 'type' of girl who gets pregnant in high school. Just those that do and those that don't. Some of the most promiscuous people out there never get pregnant, and some of the most innocent do. It's just the cards that we're dealt."_

_Quiet draped over the two like a duvet while Casey considered her mother's words. After a minute, or so, she turned to her mother with scared, wide eyes, "I don't think I can do this."_

_The statement was so simple, yet held so much meaning, "Whatever you want to do, I'm with you," Nora told her daughter._

_Casey nodded, "I- I... I don't think I can have this baby."_

_Nora regarded her daughter with careful eyes as she asked, "What are you thinking of doing then?"_

_"I know I can't have an abortion," Casey said with tears in her words, though her body was too dry to produce them in her eyes, "I just don't think I could live with myself." There was a pause as Nora nodded, "I think... I think I'm going to put the baby up for adoption. I mean, that way he or she could have parents to care for it and love it and give it everything that I'll never be able to give it. I'm only sixteen."_

_Nora nodded her head, "Okay," she said with understanding, "We'll start to look into it tomorrow."_

_- -_

_**Present**_

Looking down at the sleeping child, Casey couldn't understand how she could've entertained the idea of giving her up. Even with how things have gone down recently, at least Ryan was a part of her life. She couldn't imagine how life would be without seeing the bright blue eyes that were so much like her own, and the smile that melted her heart. She couldn't imagine how different and empty life would be without the enthusiastic, precocious bundle of energy.

Wiping away the stray tears that had found their way from her eyes, Casey thought back on the day that changed everything.

- -

_**July 3, 2007**_

_School had ended months before and no one had any inclination of Casey's pregnancy. Both Sam and Emily were in the dark, as well. It was hard trying to hide it from her best friend, and she felt bad for not telling Sam that he was a potential father of the life that was growing inside of her. However, she didn't see the sense in telling him. She wasn't keeping the baby, and he may not have been the daddy anyway. She also felt bad for avoiding him. She had broken up with him when she returned to school after finding out that she was pregnant. She couldn't stand the idea of being with him. Not that she didn't like him, but because she wasn't in love with him and she felt awful using him to help get over someone else. That being said, that person was none the wiser, either. _

_Casey told herself that she didn't tell Derek of her condition for the very same reasons why she didn't tell Sam. However, she knew, deep inside, that wasn't true. She didn't tell Derek because she was still angry with him. He hurt her so badly, and she felt justified to keep this from him. It was wrong, but so was having sex with her, telling her that he loved her, and then leaving without saying a word to her again. _

_Anyway, Casey was relieved, for what must have been the first time, when school ended for the summer. She no longer had to carefully pick out what she had to wear in order to hide her rounded stomach. Even though she hadn't started to show that much, the little bump that protruded from her abdomen didn't take to her normal attire. So, as summer came and Emily left on a family trip and Sam went to visit his sister, Casey was free to let the pregnancy show. _

_It was seven o'clock in the evening when Casey began to feel a sharp pain in her front. She had been experiencing some slight cramping throughout the day, but she passed it off as gas. At that moment, though, Casey knew it couldn't be the everyday flatulence. As the pain ripped through her, she cried out, clutching her stomach as tears pricked her eyes. She braced herself against her bed until the wave of sharp discomfort passed and she quickly made her way down the stairs to the kitchen where she knew her mother would be preparing dinner._

_When she reached the kitchen doorway, Lizzie looked up from her position near the fridge, halting her movements when she saw the obvious terror in her older sister's eyes. "What's wrong, Casey?" She asked with concern, causing Nora to look up from the stove._

_Tears fell down Casey's cheeks while she held her stomach protectively, "I think there's something wrong." As the words left her mouth, another stabbing feeling plagued her body and she cried out._

_Instantly, Lizzie and Nora went to hold her up before she fell to the ground in agony. "What's going on?" Marti asked, running into the room._

_Nora turned to the young girl, still holding supporting Casey's weight, "Nothing." She said, trying to keep Marti calm, "It's okay, can you go get Edwin for me, though?" _

_Marti looked at Nora skeptically, concern and terror still in her eyes as she nodded, "Edwin!!" She screamed as she ran out of the room._

_Turning back to Casey, who was sobbing hysterically though the pain had passed, "Casey, I need you to try and settle down and breathe. I know it's terrifying, but you need to try and relax for the baby."_

_Casey nodded her head, taking in a deep breath and exhaling. Seeing Casey begin to calm a little, Nora turned her attention to Lizzie. "Liz, I need you to get my purse and my phone and meet us in the car." Lizzie nodded and ran out of the room just as Edwin entered the kitchen._

_"Oh, wow." Edwin said, startled by the scene he found. "What's going on? Is Casey in labor?"_

_At that thought, Casey's eyes bulged out in panic, and Nora quickly went to work on trying to calm her down, "No, I'm hoping it's Braxton Hicks, but we're going to the hospital to make sure."_

_Edwin nodded, "Okay, what do you need me to do?" He asked, ready to do anything to help._

_Nora smiled at him briefly, "I need you to stay here and watch Marti," He nodded, "And I need help getting her out to the car."_

_He didn't even hesitate as he took Casey's free arm, taking on most of her weight, and began their way to the car._

_Casey's mind was reeling as she continued to work on her breathing. She wasn't that far a long, only a little under seven months. She couldn't be in labor. She kept on chanting, "I'm not in labor" over and over in her head as they made their way to the hospital. However, with every sharp, painful twinge that tore through her body, she knew that she was._

_At their arrival to the hospital, Lizzie and Nora frantically helped her from the car and towards the front desk of the emergency room._

_"May I help you?" The rather large woman asked from behind the desk._

_Nora nodded, "Yeah, my daughter is about seven months pregnant and I believe she's experiencing contractions."_

_The woman looked at her with mild disinterest, "You believe? Or do you know?"_

_Nora's jaw dropped at the question, "I'm not sure. I'm hoping it's Braxton Hicks, but she's in a lot of pain."_

_The woman just rolled her eyes, "You're probably right, it's most likely Braxton Hicks. Why don't you call your doctor and schedule an appointment, or go to the clinic on the first floor to check."_

_Casey was growing irritated by the woman and she'd be damned if she lost this baby because the bitch with a desk chair and a nametag was bored with her job. Shaking off her sister's arms, Casey stepped to the desk and slammed her hands onto the desktop. "Listen here, Janice," She said through gritted teeth, "My body feels like it's being torn in two from the inside out, and I don't have time to listen to your fucking bullshit. I'm barely seven months along and if I lose my baby because you're an incompetent, lazy, spiteful bitch, I'll make sure you regret it." The woman looked at her with terror-stricken eyes, "Now, if you don't get me a nurse and get my doctor right now, you're grandchildren will be working to pay off the lawsuit I'll be sure to have my stepfather lay on you."_

_Janice merely nodded, and picked up the phone, "A nurse will be right down with a wheelchair to take you up to maternity, and Dr. Grayson is on her way to the hospital as we speak."_

_"Good," Casey replied as she stepped away from the desk, and put on tight-lipped smile, "Thanks for your help." She said in a sarcastic, overly sweet manner, before another contraction hit her._

_Just as she was about to fall to the ground in pain, the nurse arrived with the wheelchair. The nurse settled her down into the chair, and Casey looked up at her mother. Sensing her daughter's apprehension, Nora patted Casey's shoulder comfortingly, "It's going to be okay." Casey nodded, and as Nora followed the nurse, she prayed that she was right. For her daughter's sake, for it didn't pass her that Casey had said "my baby" and not just "the baby." She knew, if something were to go wrong, her daughter wouldn't be able to get passed it._

_- -_

_It had been four hours since they had arrived at the hospital. Dr. Grayson had arrived just shortly after the nurse and they immediately went to work on trying to stop the premature labor, but to no avail. The contractions continued to wage war upon Casey's body, and the only thing they had on their side was the fact that her water had not broken. _

_Casey tried to concentrate on her breathing and staying calm, but after four hours of progressing contractions, she was becoming exhausted. "Casey, go to sleep." Nora said, reading Casey's thoughts, "The doctor is going to work on the contractions. You don't need to stay up." Sensing that Casey was about to object, Nora continued, "It would be for the best for both you and the baby. Sleep will relax you and, in turn, it will relax the baby. Maybe the labor will stop on it's own." _

_Casey began to take her mother's words into account, but exhaustion took her before she was even able to think. Nora smiled down at her daughter as the doctor came in, "I see Casey is finally asleep."_

_Nora nodded, "Yeah, she went down fighting, though."_

_Dr. Grayson smiled, "She must be terrified. We're trying everything we can to stop the labor, but it's not seeming to want to let up. The little one is being a little stubborn."_

_Nora laughed lightly, "Yeah, I think the baby gets that from Casey."_

_"Is she planning on keeping it?" The doctor asked with interest._

_Nora shrugged, "She wasn't planning on it, but I have a feeling her plans will change."_

_Dr. Grayson nodded with understanding, "Hopefully we'll be able to hold off for another two months so she can decide." She pulled out a syringe, "I'm going to give her a light sedative so she can rest comfortably. Also, if we aren't able to stop the contractions, she'll be rested enough to endure the labor."_

_Nora nodded as she watched the sedative flow through the IV. _

_- -_

_Casey didn't know how long she slept when she awoke to sunlight streaming through the windows, birds chirping outside, and a light snoring by her bedside where her mother slept. Coming out of her drug-induced sleep, she briefly wondered if the doctor was able to stop the labor. She didn't have to wait long for an answer as pain surged through her stomach. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, "Oh my God." She exclaimed as a rush of warm liquid puddled between her thighs._

_Nora woke with a start at her daughter's cries, "What is it?" She asked before seeing the wet circle forming on the bed sheets. "Oh, God." She muttered before pressing the call button._

_Immediately the doctor appeared along with two nurses. Casey watched with terror as the assessed the scene before them, "Casey, I'm afraid we are going to have to deliver this baby today. " The doctor told her, "Your water just broke."_

_Casey shook her head in denial as tears clouded her vision, "No, we don't. It's too soon. Can't you just fix it? Put it back in. We need to wait. It's too soon."_

_Nora took her daughter's hand, "Casey, you know that there's nothing we can do anymore."_

_Casey continued to shake her head frantically, as if the motion will change the facts, "Mom, it's too soon. I still get two months with her. I'm supposed to get two more months!" _

_Nora just looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "Casey," Dr. Grayson addressed her, gaining her attention, "We're going to do everything we can to make sure the baby make a safe entrance into this world, okay?"_

_Casey nodded, still desperately praying that there was some way to keep the baby with her longer, like she was supposed to. Again, another contraction tore through her, dashing her hopes._

_"I'm just going to check how dilated you are," Dr. Grayson informed Casey as she walked to the end of the bed and checked beneath the sheets. "Okay, you're about seven centimeters. We'll have to wait until you are dilated about ten centimeters before we can start the delivery." Casey and Nora both nodded. "Do you want something to lessen the pain?" She asked._

_Casey thought about this, "Will it hurt the baby?" _

_The doctor shook her head, "Not at all, though, some people decide to go without because they're afraid to drug the baby. However, I've been at this game a long time, and have two children of my own, and I can honestly say that none of the kids I have delivered with an epidural have come out any different."_

_Casey considered it before another contraction hit her, "I want the epidural!" She screamed through her clenched teeth was riddled with pain._

_- -_

"_It's time," Casey heard her doctor say four hours, and two epidural shots later._

_Casey turned pleading eyes to her mother, "Please. I can't do this."_

_Nora patted her hand comfortingly, "Yes, you can. Casey, you're strong. If anyone can do this, you can."_

_Casey shook her head, "I can't. It's too soon." Tears rushed down her cheeks like waterfalls as nurses began to surround her bed to transport her to the labor and delivery room. "Mom! I don't want to do this!" She cried. "I still have two months. I'm not prepared for this. I was supposed to have two months!" _

"_We can talk about this afterwards," Nora told her daughter, "But you need to deliver this baby, first."_

_Casey wanted to talk about it at that moment, but she let it go as they arrived in the room and the delivery began._

_**3 p.m. July 4, 2007**_

_Twenty minutes of blood curdling screams, body tearing contractions, and (more than likely) hemorrhoid-inducing pushing, a tiny cry filled the delivery room. Exhausted, Casey fell back against her pillows, looking at the doctor with hopeful and worried eyes._

"_It's a girl," The doctor informed her, and Casey could feel herself smiling._

"_Is she okay?" She asked, her anxiety lacing her voice._

"_She has ten fingers, ten toes, two eyes, and what sounds like healthy lungs, but we're going to have to give her a check up." Dr. Grayson answered._

"_C- Can I hold her?" Her voice was quiet and tentative as she asked._

_The doctor and Nora shared a knowing look, "Of course, but only for a little bit. We have to get her up to the NICU to ward off any possible infections that are common with premies." _

_Casey nodded and bit her lip as the tiny infant was place into her arms. Nothing could've prepared her for the overwhelming emotions that crashed upon her when she held her daughter for the first time. She felt like everything was right in the world as the baby settled into her. _

"_Mom?" Tears hung on the word like morning dew on grass._

_Nora felt her own tears fill her eyes as she watched her daughter holding a daughter of her own, "I know." She stated simply._

_The room was shrouded in silence, while mother and daughter bonded and the others watched on with emotional awe. A voice clearing broke through the silence after a minute, "We have to take her up, now. But we'll bring you to her after you get some rest... it that's what you want."_

_Casey just nodded her head as she watched the baby be taken away from her arms and out the door with one of the nurses._

_When the hospital staff left the room, Casey allowed her sobs to take over. "Casey?" Her mother asked, though she was pretty sure what had come over the teenage girl._

"_I can't say goodbye," She heaved out between sobs, "I was supposed to have two more months to say goodbye, and now... I just can't."_

_Nora knelt down to be eye level with the new mother, "Casey, are you sure?"_

_Casey nodded her head fervently, "Y- yes."_

"_Okay," She said, and Casey gave her a questioning look of disbelief. "Okay. I'm not going to say no if it's what you really want." _

"_It's what I really want." Casey said eagerly._

"_Okay then. But it's not like she's a dog. You can't just decide you want her because she's cute and then grow tired of her, babies don't work that way. You have to be ready for this." Nora warned and again Casey nodded. Nora sighed, "Okay, there are going to be rules. First one is, you have to keep your grades up. There's going to be long nights, but you can't let that interfere with your school work." At Casey's nod, she continued, "Second, you will follow through with your dreams. That means, you'll go to college and graduate." Casey nodded again, "I expect you to care for her, I'll be there to help you, but you're going to be sole caretaker until school starts. Then I'll stay home while you're at school, and nights when you are overloaded with homework. Weekends are yours, though. So, if you go out, you're taking her with you. No matter what. And finally, I refuse to lie to Sam. If you don't tell him, fine. But if he asks me, I'm not going to lie."_

_At the last part, Casey froze. What was she supposed to say to that? She hesitated for a second before saying, "You won't have to." _

_Nora nodded, "Okay then, it's settled." _

_Later_

_The McDonald-Venturi clan stood around the hospital room to welcome the newest member of the family who slept peacefully in the arms of her mother._

"_What do we call her?" Marti asked._

"_Ryan." Casey stated easily._

"_Ryan? Why Ryan?" Lizzie wondered aloud._

"_Yeah," Edwin chirped in, "I would've thought you'd name your kid something really girlie."_

_Casey just let out a slight laugh, looking down at the almost-smirk that played on her daughter's lips, just like her daddy's. "I think it's empowering for a girl to have a guy's name." She said with a shrug, remembering a conversation she once had with her daughter's father._

"_That's nice. What about a middle name?" George inquired, hovering over the baby girl and playing with her fingers._

"_Grace?" Casey asked hesitantly._

"_Ryan Grace McDonald," Nora tested the name, "It has a nice ring to it."_

"_Ryan Grace Venturi McDonald." She corrected. Receiving a confused look from her mother, she added, "I just figured that she should have something from her Grandpa George. And I don't think she'd appreciate me sticking her with the middle name George. She wouldn't find that empowering in the slightest." _

_George looked flattered, "Thank you, that means a lot."_

_Casey shrugged, "Plus, it would connect her to all of the Venturis." 'Especially Derek,' she thought to herself._

"_Kewl," Marti said, wriggling free from Nora's arms, "Can I hold her?" She asked._

_Casey looked a little nervous at the idea of allowing her fragile daughter rest in the arms of an overly energetic six year old. "How about I hold her and you can sit in my lap with us?" George offered, saving Casey from having to say no._

_Marti put a finger to her mouth in thought, "Okay." She said, and Casey handed her baby over to George and watched as the three sat down in the hospital chair. "Oh, she's so cute, and little." She gushed, as Ryan began to squirm. "Hey!" She exclaimed, before being told to quiet down. She lowered her voice to a whisper and looked at her dad, "I have that on my foot, too." She told George, pointing at the baby's left foot._

_George examined the birthmark with shock, 'So does, Derek.' He thought._

_- -_

_**Present**_

"_I had a feeling that Casey wouldn't be able to go through with the adoption," Nora told George after a long silence two minute silence ensued when they entered their room, "It was the way she always rubbed her stomach, even when she wasn't showing. I could just tell she wanted to keep her. Even if she didn't know it."_

_George nodded, "Yeah, it was like her hand was permanently attached to her stomach." He recalled, "It's a wonder no one realized that she was pregnant at her school."_

"_I know," Nora paused, "She was really good with her that first year. She was a good mom." Her voice sounded far away._

"_What changed? Why did you deem yourself Ryan's new mom?" He asked, though he knew the answer._

_Nora just shrugged, "I don't know."_

"_Yes, you do." George pushed, needing her to acknowledge what happened._

_Suddenly, Nora's face flooded with tears, "I didn't mean to... It was right after.. And... It was so empty... She called me Mommy..." She stumbled out through her sobs, "It just ha- happened. It felt like- like... Like we never l- l- lost it."_

_George took her into his arms, comforting her, "I know." He whispered into her ears, "But Ryan can't be a replacement. She's our granddaughter, not our daughter. She can't replace the baby we lost."_

"_I know," Nora cried._

"_I should've nipped it in the bud when she started calling us Mommy and Daddy," George said with regret, "But she made you smile, and rarely anything did at that time. You were so dead when she wasn't around, but you came alive every time you held her. And then it was too late. I never should've let it go on like it did."_


	9. Bets and Dreams

**A/N**: Sorry it took such a long time for me to update... A really long time. But, sadly, real life gets in the way. School is a real downer, and finals suck the big one. Seriously. However, I am back now...I'm a bit rusty, but I will try to shake it out and grease up the creative crevices of my brain and pull out something worth reading.

Please review!

**Summary**: Back from her third year of college, Casey MacDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: Nothing is mine. I own nothing.

**Chapter 9: Bets and Dreams**

Derek awoke to the sun's rays streaming in through his window and burning red through his clenched eyelids. He groaned as he rubbed his eyes, the sun was one of the main reasons why he hated mornings. That, and he always woke up just when his dreams were getting good. Surrendering to his consciousness, he rolled over, settling his feet on the cold wood of his floor, he pushed himself up to a standing position.

Derek made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen, where two dark heads met him. Derek's heart skipped a beat as his gaze met Casey's shining blue orbs, "Good morning, Sleepyhead." Derek was speechless when he saw the love shining through her eyes.

At her mother's words, the other, tiny brown-haired person looked up, "Daddy!!" The little voice screamed, and his smile widened as he heard Ryan call out to him while struggling to get out of her chair to come to him.

The sweet, angelic chiming of Casey's laugh filtered into his ears as she stood up to help her daughter down, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!" She screamed, finally free from the bindings of the booster seat and darting towards him. Derek bent down, stretching his arms out to catch the little, brunette fireball, but as she got to him, she continued running by. His arms and smile immediately dropped and he turned around just in time to see Ryan jump into the arms of, none other than, Sam.

Derek felt his hands ball into tight fists, "Hey, Munchkin!" He heard Sam say, and Derek rolled his eyes.

"Daddy, we made breakfast!" Ryan exclaimed, proudly.

"You did, huh?" Sam asked, and Ryan nodded vigorously. "I bet it's delicious, I can't wait to eat it." Derek felt like gagging as he watched the interaction.

"Come on, then! Let's eat!" The little one said, impatiently as she shimmied from his grasp and tugged on his hand.

Sam laughed, and Derek realized just how annoying his laugh was, "Okay, but I have to do something first." He told Ryan before making his way over to Casey.

Casey raised an eyebrow as he stood in front of her, "I thought you had to do something?"

He smirked, well, what he thought was a smirk. Derek laughed sardonically at his pathetic attempt to pull of a Derek Venturi original. "I do." Sam said, before capturing her lips with his own.

Derek's jaw clenched tightly, and steam could almost be seen coming out of his ears as he watched the kiss. His anger continued to mount as the kiss went on, he decided that he was going to pull them apart, but his legs were glued to the ground. "What the fuck?" He asked himself, as he struggled to move.

The kiss finally broke, and Derek could do nothing but watch and listen, "That's all." Sam said, shrugging.

Casey laughed, "That it, huh?"

Sam paused, pretending to think it over, "Nope," he said, leaning in to peck her lips, "I also wanted to say, I love you."

Casey grinned as Derek groaned, "Don't listen to him, Casey. If he loves you so much, why haven't I seen him around? Huh? Why hasn't he been around to take care of Ryan? Why does he never mention you when we hung out in the last four years? Huh?? He doesn't love you. I DO! I love you! Casey? Casey!!" His words fell on deaf ears, and he watched in horror as Casey leaned in to peck Sam's lips with her own.

"I love you, too."

Derek sprung up in his bed, anger seeping out of his pores with his sweat. He didn't even feel the sun's rays burning his eyes, he was so consumed with thought of his dream, his hatred for all things morning was lost. In its place, a new hatred raged in his soul. It was a hatred like one he's never felt before and it was directed to his, now former, best friend.

He angrily threw his legs over the side of the bed and stormed out of his room. As he marched down the hall like a crazed soldier, Derek stopped abruptly and turned to the slightly opened door that led to Ryan's room. Taking tentative steps, he gently pushed the door opened wider, only to gaze upon Ryan curled up in the arms of Casey. His body began to shake with his anger as he watched them sleep like angels. He didn't know exactly the source of his anger. Was it because Casey didn't tell him that she had a baby? Was it because, with Casey's normally holier-than-thou attitude, she's lying to everyone, including her own daughter? Or was it because, Casey had a daughter, and she wasn't his? He didn't know, but he stomped away angrily, pounded down the steps, and slapped the front door closed behind him.

At the end of the hallway, Edwin and Lizzie stepped out of the game's closet, "That'll be twenty bucks." Edwin said, holding out his hand.

Lizzie groaned, handing over the twenty just as Marti came out into the hallway, "What are you guys doing?" She asked, gesturing to the money that was being swapped.

Edwin turned to his little sister, "Liz and I made a bet, and she lost."

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "How do we even know that I lost? Derek could've been upset about anything!"

Edwin just smirked back, "What was the bet about?" Marti asked.

"We made a bet that, with Casey being home at the same time Derek is, Derek would realize that Ryan was actually Casey's daughter. She said that he wouldn't, and I said that he would." Edwin said, turning back to smirk at Lizzie, "And I won."

"I still don't think that he knows, he could be mad about anything!" Lizzie argued.

Edwin shook his head, "Why would he be mad when he saw Casey and Ryan together if not for the fact that he just realized that everyone, especially Casey, has been keeping a secret from him as big as this?" Edwin asked, and Lizzie opened her mouth to speak, but he cut in, "Plus, he's in love with her, it just adds salt in the wound."

Lizzie's mouth snapped shut, she knew when to admit defeat, and really, they both knew that that would be the only reason why he would be as upset as he is, "Fine."

Marti watched with interest throughout their whole little debate, "I want in." She said, and the other two turned to her with looks of confusion and slight annoyance.

"Marti," Lizzie started, "the bet's over. Derek knows."

Marti shook her head, "Nope, I have a new one."

Edwin's ears perked, "What is it?"

"I bet you forty big ones that Derek won't figure out that he's Ryan's dad until someone tells him," She said.

Edwin laughed, "Marti, I think you should leave the gambling to the big dogs."

Marti rolled her eyes, "Whatever," she said, "I'm good for the money, if I happen to lose, but I won't."

"But everyone knows that Sam is Ryan's dad, Casey even said so! So no one could possibly win." Edwin argued.

Marti showcased her own version of the Venturi smirk, "Okay, if it comes out that I'm wrong, and Derek isn't, then I'll give you fifty dollars. If it comes out that I'm right and Derek doesn't find out 'til someone tells him, then you only have to give me forty. And if Derek finds out on his own, then I'll give you forty." She said, sticking out her hand, "Do we have a deal?"

Edwin, never one to turn down a chance to earn some cash, especially with the odds so in his favor, took her hand in a shake, "Deal. But when it's over, and I win, you might want to rethink your summer TV entertainment. Those soaps aren't doing too well for you. You're too young for them, anyway."

Marti just smiled, "What about you, Lizzie?"

Lizzie shook her head, "I think I'll sit this one out." Mart nodded in understanding, and Edwin just looked at her with a questioning brow. "I just don't want to waste any money," She said, and Edwin just laughed as they all made their way to the kitchen for breakfast.

Walking down the stairs, Lizzie replayed what Marti said, Derek was Ryan's father. She wracked her brain trying to come up with a way that this couldn't be true, but she came up with nothing. They were closer before Derek left, and she was extremely upset with not knowing the exact time of conception. She thought about Edwin's argument, _"Everyone knows that Sam is Ryan's dad, Casey even said so." _Had she? Lizzie went through every crevice of her memory, but couldn't remember a time when Casey had actually said that Sam was Ryan's dad. Is it because he's not? As she crossed the living room, she saw a picture of Ryan on the wall. She glanced over it, trying to see anything that would scream out Sam, but everything was Casey... Except for the smile. It was so familiar, but was it Derek's smile? Was it Sam's? Derek rarely ever smiled a real smile, so it was hard to tell... If she smirked, though. Lizzie's eyes widened with realization, and she knew, Edwin was out of forty bucks.


	10. Hating and Loving

**A/N: **I am SO sorry for how long this took me to write. I have had a lot going on, plus I had a bad case of writer's block. I'm still kinda having a problem writing, but I'm hoping to have at least a few more chapter up by this weekend. There won't be any updates from Friday to Tuesday because I have a soccer tournament. But I'm going to try my hardest to update at least four chapters by the end of next week. I hope there are still some people interested in this story. Sorry again.

**Summary**: Back from her third year of college, Casey McDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: Nothing is mine. I own nothing.

**Chapter 9: Hating and Loving**

Waking up well rested to the warmth of the sun, the gentle chirp of birds, and the feel of your daughter nestled into your side is the best feeling in the world, Casey mused as she woke up. It's not like she's never experienced any of it, but it's the first time in a long time that she's been able to just be there with Ryan without having someone snatching her away and harping on Casey. Speaking of a harping, baby snatcher, Casey wondered where her mother was. Why hadn't Nora come up the stairs to bitch and make up some reason for Casey to hate her more?

Casey didn't have enough time to wonder about her mother's whereabouts as the little body that was curled beside her began to unfold and blue eyes began to open. "Good morning, Baby Girl," Casey said gently as her little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Mornin'" Ryan mumbled, stifling a yawn.

Casey smiled slightly with adoration, "How're you feeling?" She asked, placing her hand over Ryan's forehead.

Before the little girl replied, she put her tiny hand on her stomach and a look of contemplation took over her features. "My tummy doesn't feel that bad anymore!" A smile lit up her face.

"That's good," Casey said, a fond smile playing on her lips.

"Yup, I'm all better now," her smile went up in voltage as it beamed with excitement. "Tan we have Fresh toast with bananas and whip tream and nuts for breakfast, Tasey?"

Casey shook her head, "I think we should stick with regular toast for now," Ryan frowned, "at least until we are sure that your tummy will eat it." Ryan's face was still crestfallen, so Casey lifted her chin to look into her eyes, "If you can hold down your breakfast, I promise I'll let you have French Toast for lunch." Casey tried again, with success.

Ryan's face brightened again, "Does that mean I tan spend all day with you?"

Casey didn't know how to answer her excited daughter. Her heart soared with the idea that Ryan wanted to spend the day with her, and she wanted to tell her that she could, but at the same time, Casey was hesitant. What would Nora say? She really didn't want to start another fight with her mother, no matter how wrong she felt she was. Part of her wanted to repair their relationship, and instigating another yelling match wasn't the way to do that. "Ry…" She started to say no, but the hope and pure elation on Ryan's innocent face made her stop. Screw it. Nora could take a flying leap, she thought. There was no way that she was going to disappoint her daughter anymore, "Yeah. It'll be you and me today, Babygirl."

"Yay!!" Ryan screamed, pumping her tiny fists in the air in celebration.

Casey laughed, and felt as though, for the first time, she was making a decision for herself, and it was the right one. "I'm going to go downstairs and get breakfast ready. I'll be right back, Sweetie."

"Otay." Ryan said, smiling up at Casey as she left the room.

Walking down the stairs to the kitchen, Casey saw her mother running around frantically muttering, "Where're my keys, where're my keys."

At this scene, Casey steeled herself for the battle that she was sure was to come. "Good morning, Mom." She said with a false smile on her lips as she finished her way down the stairs.

Nora barely glanced up from her search as she replied, "Good Morning, Casey. Have you seen my keys?" She asked as she began searching through her purse.

Casey rolled her eyes before shrugging, "No, have you checked the kitchen counter near the stove?"

Nora stopped her frantic ministrations, "No," She answered, before going to check.

Casey stood, counting in her head before her mother walked back in, keys in hand, "Thank you so much, Casey. Now, maybe I can get to work on time. I can't be late for this meeting." Nora said, putting her stuff back in her purse and getting her briefcase in order. As she reached the front door, she turned around to face her oldest child, "Have a great day, Sweetheart. George and Edwin went together to pick out a new computer before George goes to work, and I asked Lizzie to drop Ryan off at daycare on her way to the beach-"

"Actually," Casey cut in, her faux cheery voice now hard and cold, "Ryan is staying home with me today."

Nora looked at her daughter, standing at the foot of the stairs with a challenge in her eyes. A small part of Nora wanted to argue with her, wanting to keep Ryan as hers, but a larger part of her felt herself swell with pride. Casey was no longer taking things laying down, she wasn't going to be a doormat to anyone anymore, and Nora loved the new strength her daughter had. She realized that, had Ryan been Lizzie's, Edwin's, Marti's, or even Derek's she wouldn't have tried to claim her as her own. But because Casey always trying to please everyone, she was easier to manipulate. Guilt plagued at Nora's heart at that realization, "Okay." She said, nodding her head.

"I don't care what you say, she's my daughter and if I wanna keep her home…" Casey started her prepared argument, before her mother's words sunk in. "Wait… What?" She asked, her shocked confusion evident in her voice, as well as her facial features.

Nora sighed, setting her briefcase down as she moved to stand in front of her daughter, "Casey," She said, and she could see Casey's body go rigid again, preparing for a fight. What had she done to her daughter, Nora wondered. "I was wrong."

Casey's jaw opened slightly in a shocked gape, "W- what?" She asked again in disbelief.

Nora took her daughter's hand in hers, "I was wrong, I shouldn't have kept her from you."

The anger returned to Casey, melting away all the shock and confusion. Casey ripped her hand from Nora's grasp, "Then why did you?"

"I don't know." Nora admitted quietly, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "I just…. I just needed her to be mine."

"But she isn't yours!!" Casey bellowed, throwing her hands in the air to emphasize her rage. "She's mine!!"

Nora nodded, her eyes filling with tears, "I know."

"Then why?" Casey questioned, her voice quieting from the anger-filled yells, taking on the coldness it held when the conversation started.

Nora sighed and sat down on the steps, so much for getting to work on time, but work wasn't even a thought anymore as she thought back to that day, "It just happened. There wasn't a warning or anything, it was just… One minute it was there, the next it wasn't." Casey's eyebrows scrunched in confusion as her mother continued her explanation, "I mean, it was always a chance because of my age, but I thought that there would be signs, you know?" Nora's voice was raspy as she spoke through her tears, "But there weren't any signs, so there wasn't anything we could do. It was just… Gone. There was so much blood." Nora began to sob and Casey watched on, stunned by the realization of what happened to her mother.

"Oh, my God." Casey whispered to herself, sliding down to sit near her mother on the steps. She didn't know how to react, what to do, or what to say. What could she say? I'm sorry didn't seem like it was enough, it couldn't take away the pain that her mother was feeling. It also didn't seem right to apologize to her mother for the fact that her child was taken away, when Nora took Ryan from her. It would be like apologizing for being angry and wanting her daughter back, and she would never do that. She felt bad for her mother, yes, but she was not sorry for being angry. Even with the new understanding of her mother's actions, Casey couldn't quite release her anger just yet. So, it's back to what should Casey do?

Casey watched her mother cry for a second before deciding to take Nora's hand in hers. At the comforting gesture, Nora's strength to continue returned, "Marti had started to call me "mommy" for a few weeks by then, and I guess Ryan picked up on it. Wh… When I got home from the hospital after… after it happened, she said it for the first time and… And I knew it was wrong, but it sounded so good and I couldn't tell her that I wasn't her mommy. I couldn't tell her, because I wanted it to be true."

Casey nodded, and they sat on the steps together, silently. After almost two minutes, Casey spoke, no anger or coldness laced her words, but they didn't hold any forgiveness either, "I'm not going to say that I forgive you." She started, and more tears fell from Nora's eyes as she nodded in understanding. "Because I don't… At least not yet. And I'm not going to say that I'm not angry at you, because I am, but I understand." She paused and turned her body to face her mother's, their hand still intertwined. "I don't want to be angry at you, anymore, though. I want to be able to move on. I don't like how we are to each other, I don't like hating you." Nora's eyes widened at the prospect of Casey hating her, and hurt pulled at her insides. "I… I don't want to hate you." Casey said, trying to back track, as tears started to fall as she realized how her words affected her mother. "I want things to be how they used to be. I don't want to fight with you. I don't want to yell or argue. I'm tired of trying to one up you. I just want my mother back… I want _us_ back."

"I want that, too." Nora said, smiling slightly through her tears.

Casey smiled back, "So, I don't forgive you right now, and I'm still a little angry, but I don't hate you."

Nora nodded, before throwing caution to the wind and telling her daughter the three words that have been missing from their relationship for quite some time, "I love you, Casey." There, she said it, and there was no taking it back, now. She meant those words, always have, but with the events that have happened, she knew there was a possibility that her love would not be reciprocated. She steeled herself, readying for the blow, though she knew, that if Casey couldn't say the same, she would die.

Casey regarded her mother with slight skepticism, not sure whether or not to believe the words. It had been a long time since either of them had muttered anything that even _alluded_ to loving each other, but looking into her mother's soft, sincere, blue gaze, all she found was truth. At her conclusion, Casey wrapped her arms around her mother tightly, "I love you, too, Mom."

Nora immediately responded to the hug, and the two held on to each other as tears fell once again.

"Tasey!! I'm _waaaaiiiiting_!" Ryan's impatient call traveled down the stairs, causing the two adults to pull apart, laughing.

"Sorry, Baby Girl, I got sidetracked. I'll be up in a minute." Casey yelled back up the stairs, wiping away her fallen tears with a chuckle.

"That girl is a handful." Nora said, laughing.

Casey nodded, "She sure is."

"She is just like you." Nora pointed out, with a smile.

This time, Casey shook her head in denial, "Nuh uh. I am not pushy nor am I impatient. If anything, she got those traits from…" Casey trailed off, catching herself before she said Derek. "you."

Nora raised her eyebrow, knowing that that wasn't what she was going to say, but she didn't know for sure who's name she was going to utter, so she let it slide. "Nope. I can see her right now, arms crossed, tapping her toe, with a look on her face that just screams 'Casey.'"

Casey shook her head, laughing, "You're wrong." She said simply.

Nora laughed, "Wanna bet?" She asked, standing up and leading the way up the stairs. Casey stood up and followed her up the stairs and down the hall to Ryan's room. There, laying in bed, was Ryan, hands crossed in front of her chest and a look on her face that made the little girl look even more like her mother. "See?" Nora said, with a triumphant smile on her face.

"Nope. You're still wrong." Casey said, crossing her arms with a smug smile on her face.

Nora's eyebrow raised, "How so?"

"There's definitely no toe tapping going on." Casey answered with a playful grin.

Nora rolled her eyes, "Semantics." She said, and they both laughed.

"Eh emm." Ryan cleared her throat causing both Casey and Nora to turn to her. "I am sick, in bed, and you guys are laughing. I don't see what's so funny. 'Specially since my tummy keeps talking telling me that he's VERY hungry, and I don't see my Fresh Toast anywhere." Ryan said, her little face showing off just how annoyed she is.

When she finished, Nora and Casey turned to face each other, amusement in their eyes, "Now THAT was not me." Casey stated, trying to stifle her laughter.

"No, that sounded more like Derek." Nora said, losing her battle with her laughter.

Casey froze for a second, before laughing it off, "Oh, no! I think we need an intervention. He's been around her too much. The world can't handle another Derek!" She said, laughing, though the words felt wrong and sinful as the fell from her lips.

"We need positive reenforcements!" Nora said, laughing with her daughter.

"Eh emmm.." Ryan cleared her voice again, and once again, Nora and Casey turned their attention back to her, "Still hungry." She said, as if she weren't a child and they weren't the adults.

Casey smiled at her, "I think someone needs to learn a thing or two about patience." She said, looking at her mother, "I think I know who could teach her."

Playing along, Nora asked, "Who?"

"Yeah," Ryan chimed in, warily, "Who?"

"The Tickle Monster!" Casey answered with a playful growl, as she went over to Ryan on the bed and began tickling her.

Joyful screams and giggles filled the house as Casey tickled her daughter. The scene was perfect, and looked so right, and Nora felt guilty once again for denying them these perfect little moments for so long.

"Otay! Otay!! I'll be patients! I'll be patients!" Ryan screamed between gasps for breath and giggles, begging for an end.

Casey stopped and smiled down at the little refection of herself, "I dunno. Did you learn your lesson?" She asked.

Ryan nodded, "Yes! I have! No more!"

"Okay, then." Casey said, and moved to get off of the bed, but little arms stopped her as they wrapped around her neck in a hug.

"I love you, Tasey." Ryan said, as she hugged her.

Tears sprang to Casey's eyes as she wrapped her arms around her daughter, "I love you, too, Baby Girl."

Casey didn't want to let go, but she slowly unwrapped herself from the little arms, "You still want some toast?" She asked.

Ryan replied with an enthusiastic nod, "Fresh Toast!"

"We talked about this, Ry." Casey said, shaking her head.

A little lip poked out in a pout as Ryan looked up at Casey with her big, blue, puppy dog eyes, "But I really want Fresh Toast."

"Honey, you were sick last night. I don't think French Toast will be good for you, right now." Casey explained, gently.

"But I'm not sick anymore. I'm all better." The little girl argued, before clasping her hands in prayer pose as she begged, "_Pleeeeeaaaaaase_?"

Casey sighed, she was not going to win this one. "I can't make French Toast," She said, and Ryan's face fell, "Without a helper." Casey finished with a smile and Ryan's eyes brightened.

"I tan be the helper!!" She said, getting out of bed and throwing her close around, looking for the perfect cooking outfit. "I just need to get dressed."

Casey laughed, "Okay, I'll be down stairs getting everything ready." She said, before walking out of the room. As she entered the hall, she saw her mother wiping away tears, "What's wrong?"

Nora just smiled, "You two… You're cute. It's so precious." She said, before letting her smile drop, "I'm really sorry, Honey. I know it doesn't excuse anything or change anything, but… I'm really sorry."

Casey just took her hands and looked her in the eyes, "Mom, I know that. And someday, I'm going to forgive you. But, being in there with her right now, hearing her tell me that she loved me, I realized that I can't be mad at you anymore. Yes, I'm angry with the things you did, and I'm mad about all of the moments you took away from me, but I have her now and she deserves all of the best. I can't give her that if I'm wasting my energy being mad at you. So, I'm letting go of my anger and I'm done with it. She deserves to have a happy family who loves each other."

Nora smiled at her daughter, "You're amazing, you know that?"

Casey smiled back, "Yeah, I do." She joked.

They shared a brief laugh before Nora got serious on her again, "When do you plan on telling her?"


	11. The Universe Sucks

**A/N: Sorry it's taken me so long, and I appreciate all of your patience and replies to my a/n. My first year away at school got to me quite a bit. Soccer, homework, friends, boys… yeah, it was a lot and I got side tracked. Anyway, this chapter was particularly difficult to write. I couldn't figure out how I wanted Ryan to be told, or even if I wanted her to be told. Then, there came the issue of Derek finding out and all of that. There's a lot of OOCness I think, especially when it comes to Nora, but that will be explained in the next part. I actually started writing this after I wrote the last update, and I haven't finished it until now. There have been a lot of rough drafts and I still don't know if I like it. But, I couldn't leave ya'll hanging anymore. Sorry if it's a bit wordy and whatnot, I'm incredibly rusty. **

**Summary**: Back from her third year of college, Casey McDonald is facing a summer of dealing with a decision she made (along with her mother and George) long ago. But as things get harder to handle, someone else returns home to make it that much harder.

**Disclaimer**: I own Jack, last name Shit. Maybe you've heard of him?

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 11: The Universe Sucks**

Derek entered the house after driving around for the better part of four hours to the sound of silence. He was in a shitty mood and all he wanted to do was lock himself in his room and blast his music. Actually, what he really wanted to do was connect his fist into someone's jaw. He left that morning with every intention of kicking Sam's ass into next week, however, rationality stopped him (yes, Derek can be rational). He couldn't go over and beat up his old best friend just because he fathered a child with a woman he once had strong feelings for, it wasn't fair to Sam. He didn't even know that Derek and Casey had hooked up that one time. It wasn't his fault that Casey was a bed hopper. It wasn't his fault that they both fell for the same girl. No, it was all the work of an even bigger evil. Something more sinister than either of the two men could ever fathom. Something that had an outward beauty that could deceive even the smartest of men; the work of a queen among sirens known as Casey McDonald. Yes, Derek had now turned all of his anger and hatred towards the one he felt deserved it most.

Shutting the door with an enthusiastic slam, Derek stepped further into the house, kicked off his shoes, and was about to begin an angry march up the stairs when a small body started to make its way down.

"Derek!!!" Ryan screamed out, with tears running down her face, arms outstretched to him.

Derek turned his body to her, taking in her appearance. Immediately, concern took the place of his anger as he opened his arms to let the sobbing toddler in.

"Shhhh…." He whispered, comfortingly into her ear as he held her tightly to his chest, "It's okay, Monkey. I've got you."

"She- she-" She sobbed, trying to speak between her heavy breaths.

"Shhhh…" Derek repeated, as he just continued to rock the small child, trying to calm her down. He knew that getting her breathing under control was vital, he could get an explanation later. When her sobs quieted to mere sniffles a couple minutes later, he relaxed his hold on her and pulled back to peer at her tear-stained face. "You okay now?" He asked, his voice slightly above a whisper. Ryan's reply was a silent shake of her head. "No? Could you tell me what's wrong? Maybe I can fix it."

Ryan took a shaky breath before answering, "M-mommy a-and T-tasey are… are l-liars."

Derek's brow furrowed at the dicey reply, before realization dawned on him: Casey had finally decided that she wanted Ryan to be hers again, everyone else and their feelings be damned. His earlier anger rose back up in him, and he felt an overwhelming need to lash out at her. However, one look at the pain and confusion etched into the glorious, innocent pools of blue made him push his anger aside. Ryan was all that mattered here. Casey was a selfish bitch, he knew that, but Ryan was too young to be this hurt and confused and she was what mattered. He wanted nothing more than for Casey to feel the repercussions of her actions, he wanted her to feel the pain that she has caused everyone else, but not at the expense of his little girl… Well, _Sam's_ little girl, he thought with a snarl. It didn't matter her parentage, though, Ryan Venturi (or whatever the fuck her name really was) had his heart, and he would do anything in the world to mend her broken one… even if it did also benefit the satanic concubine.

He shook his head and let out a sigh as he brought himself and Ryan into the living room and sat in his recliner. "Ryan, I know what Nora and Casey did seems mean," he started, as he adjusted Ryan on his lap.

"It was mean!!" She cried, cutting the older man off. "They're liars and I hate them!"

The last few words that fell from the little girl's innocent mouth made Derek's head snap, "Hey!" He reprimanded, though not harshly, "I know that they lied to you and that you're upset, but you do not hate them."

"Yes I do!" Came the stubborn reply.

Derek's tone softened, "No, you don't, Ry. Wanna know how I know that?" He waited for the small, imperceptible nod before he continued, "I know that you don't hate them because you love them."

Ryan shook her head with enthusiastic denial at his remark, "No, I don't."

Derek smirked, "Yes, you do." He told her, while using his index finger to still the child's head and direct her gaze to his own. "And I also know, that you know that they love you, too."

"No they don't." Ryan said, her eyes falling and a look of sadness clouding her features.

Derek sighed, "They don't?" The young tot shook her head morosely. "I think you're wrong. In fact, I _know_ you're wrong."

"How?" She asked, lifting her head to look up at the man with a glimmer of hope peaking through her sadness.

Derek hugged her to him with a gentle squeeze, "Because, they would do anything to make sure you were okay." He told her, and she just raised her brow, waiting for him to continue. "Well… Last night, you remember how Casey took care of you? She sat by your bed all night long, making sure you're fever didn't get too high, and sang you songs and stuff to make you feel better."

"Yeah… So?" He smiled as her face scrunched up, waiting for him to make a little more sense to her.

"_So…_" he said, jokingly stressing the word as he gave her a little jiggle in his arms, trying (not in vain) to make the child laugh. "She did all those things because she loves you."

Ryan stopped her giggling, her face taking on a look of seriousness, "Really?" She asked, and he nodded his answer. A look of contemplation slowly covered her features as she nibbled her lip, "Then why did she lie?"

_Hmmmm…._ Derek thought, _maybe because she's a cold-hearted bitch who only thinks about herself? _Of course, he couldn't tell her that, so he turned Ryan to face him and told her something a little bit nicer, "Ry, she didn't want to lie to you, but she thought it was the best thing to do at the time. All she wanted was what was best for you, she still does, and if she would've known at the time that you would hurt like this, she never would've done it. She loves you more than anything. I'm willing to bet that, right now, knowing that she hurt you with this lie is killing her. And if she knew that you hated her, she would be devastated."

Ryan looked a little guilty at his words, "Would she try?" She asked innocently.

Derek nodded, "I'm sure she would cry."

"I don't want Tasey to try!" The little girl yelled, appalled by the possibility of her favorite woman crying because of her.

"I know you don't, but she would. She loves you so much, that it would hurt to know that you don't love her, too." Derek told her, though inside he was thinking that Casey deserved to hurt.

"But I _do_ love her!" Ryan cried.

Derek nodded, "I know you do. But I'm not the one you should tell that to."

Immediately, Ryan jumped off of his lap and began running towards the stairs, "I gotta tell her!!" She yelled, but then stopped suddenly and turned back around. Derek raised an eyebrow at her as she climbed back up onto his lap, "I love you, too, Derek." She told him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before running back up the stairs, zooming right passed Nora and out of sight.

Watching the little one disappear and not noticing the woman at the top of the stairs, Derek slouched back into the recliner with an audible sigh.

"That was really sweet of you, Derek." Nora said, causing Derek to jump slightly.

Derek quickly composed himself and sent his stepmother a sarcastic smile, "That's me," he growled out, with a sarcastic, saccharine smile in place, "I'm as sweet as fucking sugar."

Nora bristled slightly at his language, but let it slide, "Well, I'm sure Casey appreciates it, as do I."

Derek rolled his eyes with a grimace, growling out between his teeth, "I didn't do it for fucking Casey. I don't give a fuck what that lying bitch appreciates or not. I did it for Ryan. Case doesn't deserve that little girl, but Ryan doesn't deserve to hurt."

The middle aged woman fumed, and if it had been a cartoon, there would've been steam seeping out of her ears as she snapped at the younger man, "You don't know what you're talking about, Derek."

Derek let out a sardonic laugh, "Hmmm… Well, maybe if your daughter and you weren't constantly lying, I'd have a fucking clue." He stood up to go to the kitchen, sending a glare towards Nora, "You both act like you're all innocent, deciding who deserves to be loved by you and who doesn't, giving and taking away, all to suit your needs. Casey has the baby, then decides she doesn't want her, then decides that she does. She decides she loves someone, only to take away the love. She's a fucking bitch, and apparently so are you, for allowing your daughter to do shit like that."

SMACK!! He hadn't realized that Nora had followed him on his quest to the kitchen until he felt the familiar sting on his cheek. "I don't care what you say to me, or about me, because I know I deserve every name in the book, but don't you say a word about Casey. I don't know what you have against her, but I know that she has been through Hell these past few years, and if you would've taken your head out of your own ass for one second these past couple of weeks, you would've seen the pain she has been in."

Derek, with his hand cupping his aching jaw, sent Nora a look that would send Charles Manson running scared, "Head out of my own ass, huh? Why thanks, Nora, I didn't know you cared that much. If Casey was in so much pain, maybe she should've thought a little bit before she decided to play Spin the Wheel for the Mommy."

Nora just shook her head with disgust, "You know what, Derek? You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know what happened, and it's not like you've even listened to anything that didn't suit you're picture of how things are according to Derek. So, I'm done." She said, turning her back on him to grab her purse and keys to head out the door. "Oh," she stated, halting midway through the entryway, "and if you_ ever_ use that language with me again, you will regret it. I don't care how old you are."

Derek just stood there with a glare as she walked out the door, "Whatever." he muttered, and then marched up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door as he disappeared into his room.

---------

Casey sat on her bed with tears in her eyes, thinking about what had just occurred not even ten minutes ago.

_Flashback_

"_When do you plan on telling her?"_

_Casey's face fell, and confliction was obvious as she chewed nervously on her lip, "I don't know." She finally answered, after a second of silence, "I'm afraid to tell her."_

"_I know that you're a little scared, Honey, but Ryan deserves to know that you're her mother." Nora said gently, not knowing that she had just let the cat out of the bag._

"_Tasey's my mommy?" A little voice rang through the hallway, the innocent question filling the ears of the two shocked adults._

"_Uh…" Nora stuttered, turning her stunned gaze to the child standing just outside of her bedroom door. _

_Ryan's face was scrunched in confusion, "But you're my mommy."_

_Casey paled, she wasn't ready for this. Just hearing the painful confusion in her daughter's voice was too hard, how could she explain this? "Ryan, why don't we go sit on Casey's bed and talk?" She heard her mother say gently, but the toddler wanted nothing to do with that suggestion._

"_No! I wanna know now!" Ryan was normally sweet and charming, but she could be extremely stubborn with a temper to boot, and she could throw the biggest tantrum if she felt a situation warranted it. She was not one to be confused, and she hated feeling left out, and at this moment, she was definitely feeling both. "Is Tasey my mommy?"_

_Nora looked at Casey, who stood paralyzed beside her, "Casey…" _

"_Tasey?!?!" The toddler's shriek shook Casey from her trance._

"_Ry," She said quietly, kneeling down to the child's level and reaching out her hand for her to take._

_Ryan took Casey's hand and stood in front of her, tears welling up in her eyes, "Are you?" _

_The small, quiet voice, so confused, scared, and hurt, that trickled from the tiny brunette's lips made Casey's heart break. She knew that she had to tell the truth, her daughter didn't deserve these lies anymore, "Yes." She stated simply._

_Ryan's eyes widened like giant, blue saucers, not expecting that answer, and not fully understanding its implications, "But, mommy is my mommy." She said, turning her gaze to Nora._

"_No, I'm not, Sweetie." Nora said, weakly._

"_B- but…" The little girl began to stutter, pulling away from Casey's grasp, as she stared up at Nora. "You said you were my mommy…" _

"_I know, and I was wrong to do that." Nora's voice was laced with guilt._

"_You lied?" The question was simple, and seemed even simpler coming from the mouth of an almost four year old little girl. But the phrase and its (true) allegations packed one hell of a punch. A punch that hit straight into the guilt that grew in both of the women's guts, causing an internal rupture, making the acid-like feeling bleed through their bodies, burning away at every crevice, through their souls, and oozing out of ever orifice, until every part of them ached. There was no escaping it: they were liars._

_Casey, guilt-ridden and intent on telling her daughter the whole truth, nodded her head, "Yes, we did. But, Ryan…"_

"_Liars!!" The tiny person screeched, making a sound that would make any dog within a five mile radius go mad. "You guys are liars!" _

"_Ryan…" Casey tried again, but there was no reaching the girl. Ryan now had her hands covering her ears and was chanting, "Liars! Liars! Liars!" At the top of her lungs with tears streaming down her cheeks. Casey sucked in a deep breath, willing her tears not to fall just yet._

_Nora wanted this all to stop, she knew that everyone was hurting and she wanted to fix it. She took a step towards the screaming child, placing her hands on the her shoulders to try and get her to focus, but Ryan threw her hands up to ward the grandmother off. "NO!" She yelled, "I want my daddy!!" With that said, she took off down the hall and down the stairs. Casey and Nora were about to go after her when they were instantly stilled by the child's cry, "Derek!"_

_Silence engulfed the duo for half a minute, as they tried to register what had just taken place. Snapping to, Nora turned to her daughter who's tears were finally released into steady rivers down her face, "Casey, it's going to be okay. She just needs to calm down. She's only about four years old, she doesn't understand, and the best way she knows how to cope is by throwing a tantrum." Casey just nodded, not bothering to acknowledge her mother in any other way, as she just continued to stare down the path that Ryan had just taken. _

"_Derek will get her to calm down a little bit, and then you can talk to her and try and help her understand. Okay?" Again, she only nodded. "Okay, well, I have to get to work. I'm really late for this meeting." Nora just waited for any other sign from Casey to know that she will be okay, but she received none. "I could call in. If you need me here, I can stay. It wouldn't be a problem." Nora suggested, her concern coming through with each word._

"_No." Casey answered, in a voice completely void of emotion. Still, Nora sighed with relief. At least she was still talking._

"_You sure?" She asked, and again, Casey just nodded, but the gesture was also paired with extra motion, as she turned her body and walked right into her room._

_End Flashback_

Sitting in her bed, the irony of the fact that Ryan said that she wanted her daddy and then found her way into Derek's arms was not lost on Casey. In fact, she was pretty sure that the whole day was just the universe's way of giving her the finger. Why would she have thought that she could actually have a peaceful day with her daughter? Why would she think that she could actually be happy and have her family? Ryan was probably sitting in Derek's lap, right at that moment, and together they are sharing about how much they hate her. Casey wiped another tear from her cheek as she thought that. They both hated her now, and she was left with absolutely nothing. Maybe she should just leave and head back to school, there was nothing keeping her in the house any longer.

Just then, Casey heard the light tapping of little footsteps enter her room, "Tasey?" Ryan asked, hesitantly walking further into the neat room.

Casey looked up, quickly wiping away her tears before she met the child's blue gaze with her own, "Ryan," she breathed out, relief slowly flowing through her body, as more tears began to fill her eyes. Maybe she wasn't going to be alone…. Unless, she's here to kick her while she's down. That would be the Derek in her.

Ryan gently smiled at her newly revealed mother, making her way to stand in front of her on the bed, "Were you trying?" She asked, her face scrunching into a frown as she fingered away a tear from Casey's blotchy, tear-stained cheek.

"Yeah, I was, Babygirl." Casey answered.

Suddenly, Ryan threw her hands around Casey's neck in a hug, "I love you. Please don't try anymore. I don't want you to try."

Hearing those words stem from her daughter's mouth made a whole other water gate open as relief flooded through her system and she squeezed the girl tighter to her, "Oh, Babygirl, I love you, too. So much. I am so sorry for lying to you."

Ryan pulled back, "I know," she told her, "but no more."

Casey smiled, "No more lying. I promise."

"Pinky?" The little girl asked seriously, holding out her tiny pinky finger.

"Pinky promise," Casey agreed, entwining her smallest finger with the toddler's.

A smile broke out on Ryan's face, and she pulled Casey back into a hug, "Good."

Together, they sat holding each other for a few minutes, content to just be, until Ryan pulled away once more. "How are you my mommy?" She asked, contorting her features to display her confusion.

Casey stood up, "Well…" she said, walking over to her book shelf and pulling down a photo album, before sitting back down next to Ryan on her bed.

Ryan looked down at the photo book, more precisely, at the picture that Casey was showing her. "What's this?"

Casey looked at the picture fondly, "That's me."

Ryan just raised her eyebrow, "But you're fat."

"Silly girl, that's you." She chuckled pointing at her enlarged pregnant belly in the picture.

Ryan's eyes practically popped out of her head, "You _ate_ me?!?"

Laughter spewed from the older woman's mouth, "No, no, no." she laughed, "I didn't eat you. That's where you grew before you were born. In my belly."

"Oh," Ryan said, relieved, before confusion took over again, "How did I get in there?"

_Uhhhh… _Casey panicked to herself, "Your daddy put you in there." She said, before instantly kicking herself in the butt. _Way to go, now she's going to ask about her daddy and I can't lie to her, and then she's going to tell Derek and then Derek is going to kill me and then…._

"How did he do that?" Came the response, cutting off Casey's inner ramble.

Now, Casey had never been a big believer in the whole God thing, but she figured that she didn't have to push all of her beliefs on her daughter, "Well… When two people love each other a whole bunch, sometimes God grants them a gift. So he goes to the daddy in the daddy's dream and gives him a little seed and tells the daddy to give the seed to the mommy the next night before bed. When the mommy takes the seed, she gets a baby in her stomach to grow, before the baby comes out and becomes a little boy or girl." She tried to explain.

"Okay." Ryan said, accepting her answer before thinking of a new one, "But daddy loves mommy… well… my old mommy. How did daddy give you the seed? Did God make a 'stake?"

"Oh, Honey. God didn't make a mistake giving me the seed," Casey said, before broaching the hard subject, "You know how your old mommy isn't really your mommy but is your Nana Nora?" She asked Ryan, who nodded her head, "Well, George is your Grandpa, not your daddy."

Ryan frowned at this for a second, and Casey braced herself for the question that she was sure was going to follow. She wasn't going to lie to her daughter anymore, so she would tell her about Derek and then deal with him when she needed to. However, the question never came. "Okay." Ryan said with acceptance, "Tan we make fresh toast, now?" She asked, with innocence.

Casey blinked in disbelief, _wow, kids really are resilient. _"Of course, Babygirl." She agreed, "And if your tummy is up for it, maybe we'll bake cookies later."

"Yay!!!" Went the loud reply, as Ryan hurled herself from the bed and began pulling Casey out of the room, "Let's go! My tummy wants tookies!"

Casey shook her head happily, allowing herself to be dragged to the kitchen, "Not until after breakfast."

"Fine," Ryan sighed, and then turned around and wrapping her arms around Casey legs abruptly. "I love you."

Casey looked into Ryan's deep ocean eyes as she heard the words that melted her heart, "I love you, too." She said, affectionately running her hands through the girl's thick curls before leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead, "But there's still no cookies until after you eat breakfast." She said, with a smile. Maybe the universe didn't hate her as much as she thought. She has her daughter now, and that was WAY better than nothing at all. No contest.

**A/N: So, that was chapter 11. I hope it wasn't too bad. This was actually a lot longer, with an actual Dasey fight, but it was getting WAY too long. So, you guys will have to wait for next chapter… If you want to read a next chapter. Tell me what you think. I can take it. Thanks for reading.**


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